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K^ansas  Chief 

WAH-SHUN-GAH. 

By  permissioQ  of  George    B.  CorQish,    ArkaQsas 
City,  KaQsas,  this  is  published.  TaK^o  JQ  1908. 


iy+otocl  1  H  oe>r\-^ 


» 


tWON  CORONADOI 

4^  4 


4. 

1^  Then  Known  As 

4. 

4. 


QUIVIRA 


t 


I  Through  | 

4* 

4* 


I     KANSAS     I 

4*  -  •* 


1541  I 


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$ 


4. 

J»  A  STORY  OF  THE 

I  KANSAS,   OSAGE,  ;| 

^  and  4iji 

I  PAWNEE    INDIANS  % 

4^  4 


WASJAME3TOWN  0 

J  SIXTY    SIX    YEARS    AFTER    THE  { 

\  Don    Was    Through    Kansas.  ^ 

I  ' 

f  COPYRIGHT   1908,  f 

{  By  f 

J  THE  DON  CORONADO  CO.  J 

^  Set  up,  Stereotyped,  Printed  and  Bound  by  ^ 

^  The  Don  Coronado  (Company,  ^ 

i  Seneca,  Kansas.  i 


4 

The    Pilgrims    Landed  ^ 

79    Years    After  f 

KANSAS.  ^ 


Don  Coronado  Went  Through 


^ 
^ 
^ 


¥  "t 

t 

I;              dedication;  ;| 

4                   — ^ 

^     In  behalf  of  the  millions  of  Foreign  Bom  ^ 

J^it^enSy  this  work  is  dedicated  to  our  ^ 

f^             DEAR  OLD  UNCLE  SAM  4 

¥  ^^ 

?^Who  gave  us  Homes,   Liberty  and  Prosperity,  ^ 

^and  for  whom  we  will  lay  down  our  Lives.  ^ 


t 


^  — ~ — 

^     And  to  our  Beloved  T 

|;                 STATE  OF  KANSAS,  .                   % 

¥God   Bless    Her,   and  keep   Her  the   mMt      4* 


4 

t 


progressive  State  in  these 

|l  UNITED  STATES  4 

||  OF  ^ 

4*  AMERICA.  ^ 


COMPARISONS. 


; 


OF  THE  46  STATES  IN  THE  UNITED   STATOS 

THE  ELEVEN   LARGEST  ARE 
STATES  .         SQUARE   MILES 

1  TEXAS.  ■  2  6  5,780 

2  CALIFORNIA.  15  8,3  60 

3  MONTANA.  14  6,080 

4  NEVADA.  11 0,7  00 

5  COLORADO.  10  3,9  25 

6  WYOMING.  9  7,8  9  0 
ObegoNj  Utah,  Idaho  and  Minnesota,  next,  then 

11         KANSAS      -      -      -     82,080 

ENGLAND,     IRELAND,    ) 

}   122,262 
SCOTLAND  and  WALES,    J 

THEREFORE 
KANSAS    AND    A    HALF 
Would  be  a  little  larger  than 
GREAT    BRITAIN. 


sa  ~  @ 


IN    THE    HEART    OF    KANSAS. 


In  1541,  WHEN  CX)RONADO  PASSED  THROUGH 
KANSAS,  HE  TRAVERSED  NEAR  THE  SPOT  WHERE 
FORT  RILEY  IS  LOCATED.  THEREFORE,  TO  AS- 
SERT THAT  HE  WAS  IN  THE  HEART  OP  OUR 
GREAT    REPUBLIC    IS    VERY    APPROPRIATE    SINCE 

FORT  RILEY,  KANSAS, 

IS  THE 

GEOGRAPHICAL  CENTER 

OF  THE 

UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA. 


The  Don  Coronado  Exploring  Expedition 
first  entered  Kansas  at  the  place  where 
Barber  County  is  now  located,  and  passed 
through  Kingman,  Reno,  Harvey,  McPher- 
son,  Marion,  Dickinson,  Geary,  Riley,  Pot- 
tawatomie, and  Nemaha  Counties.  He  visited 
at  the  ''City  of  the  Twenty-Four,"  which  in 
1541  was  located  on  Independence  Creek,  a 
little  north  oi!  Atchison,  Kansas,, 


SI 


Xi^   ^y,  ^j,  ^>,  .yv  XV  XV  XV   ^>.  ^>,  Av 


A   PROPHET. 


On  October  20,  1^41,0011  Coronado  wrote 
^-Ithe  King  of  Spain  the  following,  which  now 

i 

<lafter  367  years  demonstrates  his  foresight.     It 

A 

<,must  have  been  Kansas  he  describes,  for  he 
^aid: 

5.      '^When  I  reached  it  (Quivira)^  it  is  in  the 

"fortieth  degree,    (The  40th  degree  is  the  north 
ine  of  Kansas,  and  if  this  line  is  followed  east 

it  will  be  found  to  run  through  Spain,  in  Eu- 

k 

tope),  the  country  itself  is  the  best  I  ever  ^seen^ 

X 

^for  producing    all   the  products   of  Spain,  for 

S' 

^besides  the  land  itself  being  very  fat  and  black 

^znd   being   very   ivell   watered  by   riverlets   and 

^Xprings  and  rivers  I  found  everything  they  have 


i 


"S 


k 


^n  Stain."  ^^ 

^  ^V  '/>   '>>    ^S'   -^S'   ^S"  'Vlt-   'Vt-   VT*-  '/T    -^s'l^ 


^ — a 

JUST  A  FEW  WORDS- 


The  aim  of  this  book  is  to  endeavor  to 
make  interesting  a  few  historical  events,  so  as 
to  extend  knowledge.  The  dates,  names  and 
locations  are  with  few  exceptions  authoritative. 

No  attempt  has  been  made  to  imitate  oth- 
ers in  the  use  of  supposed  Indian  vernacular, 
for  the  reason  that  at  the  period  of  the  story, 
1497-1^41,  it  is  not  possible  to  do  so  with  any 
regard  to  truth. 

The  Kansas,  Osage,  and  Pawnee  Indians  of 
the  State  of  Kansas  ought  to  be  introduced  to 
this  and  future  generations,  and  if  this  work 
throws  light  on  their  customs,  traits  and  loca- 
tion of  villages,  one  of  the  aims  will  have  been 
accomplished. 

But  the  burning  desire  and  most  earnest 
wish  is  to  have  you  exclaim,  who  is 

THE  AUTHOR? 

Seneca,  Kansas,  U,  S.  A.,  jgo8. 


1&  ^ 


^j]  XX-    -i-J.   ^>.    ^>.  XV   Xir   .VV   AV    -^/.   ^y.  AV 

:^  CONTENTS. 


i 

A 

J. 

i. 
% 

i 


CHAPTER 

1.  Columbus  Sails  From  Spain 

2.  CoRONADO  IN  New  Spain 

3.  The  Seven  Cities  of  Cibola 

4.  The  Hero  Alonzo  Perez 

5.  Expedition  Starts  in  1540    . 

6.  Pawnee  Indian  Tells  of  Qlt;vira 

7.  Customs  OF  Early  Tribes     . 

8.  Alonso  Among  the  Indians 

9.  Give  A  Man  A  Chance     . 

10.  CoRONADO  Through  Kansas 

11.  Poor  Old  Kansas      .      .      .      . 

12.  Chief  Tattarrax  OF  Harahey   . 

13.  With  the  B[ansas  Indians    . 

14.  The  Tournament      .      .      . 

15.  Indian  Running  and  Canoe  Races 
1.6.  Pipe  OF  Peace  AND  Friendship   . 

17.  Cross  the  Overland  Trail  . 

18.  The  Pawnees 

19.  Through  Northeast  Kansas 

20.  The  Kansas  '  *City  of  the  Twenty-four 

21.  Down  the  Missouri  .... 

22.  With  the  Osages       .... 

23.  They  Hurry  towards  Home 


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337 


1^- 


■*tS'  '/>  •■Vi-   ^V  ^V  ^x'  '■'rr-   vr  '/r  -'/r-  ^s' 


DON  CORONADO 
THROUGH    KANSAS. 


FIRST. 

The  Rnta  Nina  and  Santa  Maria 
Sailed  out  of  Palos  one  day, 
Navigated  by  the  Pinzons  and  HE 
Who  discovered  the  land  of  the  free. 


HE  INDIANS  of  New  York  and  a 
few  other  states  have  been  made  fa- 
mous by  James  Fenimore  Cooper.  His 
**Deerslayer,''  "The  Prairie,"  "The 
Pathfinder, '^  and  the  "Last  of  the 
Mohicans''  have  become  universal  lit- 
erature: for  not  only  in  the  United  States  and  Canada 
are  they  read,  but  they  have  been  translated  into  many 
languages,  and  in  all  probability  centuries  hence  they 
will  be  perused  by  students  of  American  history  to 
obtain  an  insight  into  the  peculiar  characteristics  of 
the  "Red  Men"  of  North  America,  a  type  of  humanity 
nowhere  to  be  found  in  any  other  quarter  of  the 
globe.  Not  only  are  they  of  an  original  make  physi- 
cally, but  particularly  mentally,  for  those  who  know 
the  Indians  declare  "the  way  of  the  Indian  is  mys- 
terious." He  has  the  characteristics  of  the  hyena, 
which,  when  viewed  in  the  zoological  gardens  and 


2  THE  INDIAN'S  UNTAMABLENESS. 

traveling  menageries,  demonstrates  its  restlessness 
and  untamableness;  and  so  it  is  with  the  Indian:  for 
with  few  exceptions,  although  they  have  come  in 
contact  with  PJuropean  civilization  for  four  hundred 
years,  they  are  still  far  from  being  up  to  the  standard 
of  the  average  American.  Compare  him  with  the 
Negro.  The  Negroes  were  first  brought  from  the 
wilds  of  Africa  in  1620,  and  were  taught  to  labor;  but 
the  average  Indian  would  rather  die  than  become  a 
slave.  The  Spaniards  had  a  proverb  that  has  gone 
into  history,  *'that  one  Negro  was  worth  four  Indians. " 
Those  who  are  acquainted  at  this  writing  with  the 
Indians  who  now  make  their  homes  on  reservations 
f uUy  realijje  that  four  hundred  and  seven  years  since 
they  were  called  Indians  by  Columbus,  they  only 
potter  around  at  farming  and  stock  raising,  with 
some  exceptions  among  the  five  nations  in  the  Indian 
territory. 

The  Indians  were  by  God  created  to  roam,  hunt, 
fish  and  come  in  contact  with  nature,  which  they  love 
with  a  passion  inbred  by  many  generations  of  pro- 
gCAitors.  >'  The  Indians  of  today  must  not  be  compared 
with  those  who  peopled  the  country  in  1539,  the  date 
of  this  story,  for  there  is  no  similarity.  >  The/*fire 
water"  of  the  white  man  was  unknown  to  the  early 
aborigines.  It  did  more  to  demoralize  and  degrade 
them  than  anything  else.  Within  thirty  miles  of  the 
place  where  this  is  written  there  ave  the  Pottawat- 
omie and  Kickapoo  reservations.  These  two  tribes 
have  been  living  on  their  reservations  for  a  great 
Qumber  of  years,  and  from  observation  at  this  time 
they  are  killing  themselvfs  oft'  by  tlie  excessive  u.^e 


SPANISH  GEOGRAPHICAL  NAMES.  3 

of  *'fire  water."  The  following  incident  demon- 
strates the  appetite  which  the  Indian  has  for 
whisky:  Several  of  them  were  partaking  from  a 
bottle  when  one  averred,  "he  wished  his  throat  was  a 
mile  long  so  he  could  taste  it  while  running  down." 

The  world's  history  is  a  marvelous  thing.  Let 
us  view  events  from  an  American  standpoint.  The 
Spaniards  discovered  North  and  South  America; 
conquered  [ind  colonized  a  large  part  of  it,  and  to  this 
day  the  original  names  given  various  regions  still 
retain  them.  E.  g..  Vol.  I,  page  400,  14th  Annual 
Keports  of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology,  by  the  Smith- 
sonian Institution  of  the  United  States,  contains  a 
map  published  in  Spain  in  the  year  1597;  and  this  is 
how  California  is  speUed:  v^  ''CALI-FORNIA." 
Florida,  the  land  of  flowers,  was  so  designated  by 
Ponce  de  Leon  in  1521.  Colorado  received  its  name 
in  1540  by  the  explorer  Coronado.  He  named  the 
river  thus  because  of  its  reddish  tinge.  Montana 
was  a  province  of  Peru  when  Pizarro  conquered  that 
country.  Argentine,  or  La  Plata,  so  christened  in 
1516  by  De  Soils  because  the  natives  had  such  an 
abundance  of  silver  ornaments.  Venezuela  was  dis- 
covered by  Columbus  in  1498.  A  strange  village  was 
found  built  over  a  lake  upon  piles,  and  the  country 
w^s  so  named,  meaning  little  Venice. 

It-  is  a  conservative  estimate  to  state  that  one- 
fourth  of  the  American  Continent  will  retain  its 
Spanish  names  to  the  end  of  time;  and  when  it  comes 
to  the  Oceans,  the  Pacific  being  the  largest  and  the 
river  Mississippi  the  longest,  and  the  thousands  of 
provinces  and  cities  which  abound  in  geography,  to 


4     ADMIRALS  DEWEY,  SAMPSON  AND  SCHLEY. 

say  the  least  is  without  precedent  in  the  world's 
history,  covering  an  immense  territory;  and 
now  the  King  of  Spain  does  not  overlord  an  acre 
of  this  vast  expanse,  but  a  New  Nation  only  132 
years  old  not  only  controls  a  large  part  of  the 
Don's  **New  Spain,"  Mexico,  '*Galecia,"  California, 
Cibola  and  Quivira,  but  had  the  audacity  to  undertake 
in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1898  to  correct  her  for  conduct 
unbecoming  a  Christian  nation,  defeating  her  armies 
in  Cuba  and  the  Philippines;  and  to  think  that  a  young 
upstart  nation  should  presume  to  match  her  Admirals 
Dewey,  Scliley  and  '  Sampson  against  that  nation 
which  produced  the  most  renowned  seamen  known  to 
history!  The  battles  of  Manila  Bay  and  Santiago 
will  go  resounding  down  in  history  so  long  as  the  art 
of  printing  prevails,  and  when  the  United  States  of 
America,  like  Rome,  is  only  remembered  by  what  is 
recorded  in  histories,  yet  nations  unborn  will  read 
the  story  of  these  naval  battles  with  the  same  interest 
as  the  student  of  history  now  does  the  conflict  which 
occurred  September  2,  31  B.  C,  at  Actium,  wherein 
Mark  Antony  and  Cleopatra  were  on  the  one  side  and 
the  Roman  Admiral  Agrippa  was  on  the  other. 

But  notwithstanding  the  defeat  of  the  Spanish 
•irmies  and  navies  by  the  United  States  in  1898,  and 
although  the  sovereign  of  the  country  which  gave 
birth  to  Cervantes  in  1547  (whose  name  will  forever, 
be  illustrious  because  of  his  Don  Quixote)  has  lost 
Cuba,  Porto  Rico  and  the  Philippines,  yet  it  must  ever 
be  remembered  by  all  intelligent  and  fair-minded 
people  that  from  the  discovery  of  America  by 
Columbus,  October  12,  1492,  until  she  lost  Venezuela 


"in  hoc  signo  vinces".  $.  $.  $.  5 

in  1813,    Argentine    in    1816,    Columbia  in  1819,  and 
^  Mexico  in  1824,  culminating  in  her  final  dispossession 

P  of  her  last  colonies  in  1898  by  the  United  States,  a 

glance  at  the  map  of  South  America  will  demonstrate 
that  about  one-half  of  that  immense  country  was  for 
over  300  years  under  the  dominion  of  the  successors 
of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  and  that  two  other  nations 
Cuba  and  the  Phillippines,  were  under  her  control  for 
nearly  400  years.  Again  let  it  be  remembered  by  all 
good  Christian  people,  that  the  teaching  of  the  lowly 
Nazarene  was  by  her  missionaries  taught  to  these 
pagans,  who  were  turned  from  the  worship  of  false 
gods,  to  the  Cross  as  the  emblem  of  the  Son  of  God 
as  well  as  the  God  of  Gods.  So  we  must  not  de- 
tract  from  the  merit  due  the  country  now  confined  to 
its  original  territory,  Spain,  for  her  name  must  go 
down  in  history  as  having  been  one  of  the  great 
nations  of  the  world.  * 'In  hoc  signo  vinces"  (by  this 
sign  shalt  thou  conquer)  will  everlastingly  per- 
X)etuate  her  memory,  because  of  the  following  signs: 

$(1f>  (3]»  4>  (!>  (jj> 

JJ)  «jp  ij)  «Jp  «P 

for  is  not  the  "almighty  dollar"  the  God  of  the 
Americans?  (and  all  other  nations  if  it  comes  to  that,) 
and  is  not  the  very  word  a  synonym  for  the  astute 
Yankee  ?  And  from  whence  came  the  term,  but 
from  the  Spanish  term  dollar;  so  there  is  no 
possibility  of  forgetting  the  former  greatness  of 
that  country  which  2,000  years  ago  was  known  to 
the  Greeks  and  Romans  as  Iberia. 

There  was  quite  a  commotion  in  the  little  town 
of  Palos,  Spain,  on  the  early  morning  of  August  3, 
1492,  owing  to  three  vessels  being  ready  to  sail  with 


6  THE    PINTA    NINA   AND  SANTA   MaKIA. 

120  men  for  the  purpose  of  finding  a  new  route  to  the  . 
East  Indies,  who  were  going  to  risk  their  hves  in  the 
attempt  to  find  a  new  water  path,  so  as  to  be  able  to 
compete  with  Venice,  Milan,  Florence  and  Genoa,who 
monopolized  the  trade  with  Syria,  Egypt  and  India. 
These  mariners  had  agreed  to  go  with  Captain 
Columbus,  and  on  that  fine  August  morning  adieus 
and  affectionate  last  farewells  were  common.  Wives 
embraced  their  husbands,  mothers  wept  over  their 
sons,  fathers  admonished  their  boys  to  be  brave,  and 
the  priests  blessed  them  all,  fervently  praying  for 
the  Almighty  to  protect  and  bring  them  safely  back 
to  sunny  Spain.  Hundreds  of  conversations  were 
being  carried  on  by  the  2,000  inhabitants  of  the  little 
seaport  town,  located  about  120  milee  northwest  of 
the  Straits  of  Gibraltar.     Hark  to  this  dialogue: 

Mr.  Shipbuilder;  **Did  you  ever  see  such  fools, 
to  be  flying  in  the  face  of  Providence?  That  man 
Colon  (Spanish  for  Columbus)  is  crazy.  Has  he  not 
put  in  years  trying  to  induce  merchants  to  lit  him 
out  with  a  vessel,  and  now  the  Queen  has  given  him 
$67,000  to  sink  to  the  bottom  of  the  ocean,  and  worse 
still,  we  will  lose  some  of  our  best  sailors.  I  would 
not  give  a  piaster  (dollar)  toward  such  an  enterprise. 

*'0h,  have  you  seen  that  Nina,  one  of  the  boats? 
It  is  only  fifty  feet  longc  and  the  Pinta  but  little 
longer,  and  neither  have  upper  decks.  I  tell  you  those 
Pinzon  boys  do  not  realize  what  they  are  doing.  Ah, 
Oolon  is  cunning  enough.  He  takes  the  Santa  Maria, 
which  is  ninety  feet  long  and  has  a  deck.  He  may 
return,  but  the  others.     God  help  themi*' 

Mr.  Banker:    "Well,  we  let  the  brothers  have  a 


COLUMBUS   IS  OFF  WITH   120  MEN.  7 

little  money  to  buy  their  outfits,  but  if  they  do  not 
return  we  shall  hold  their  lands;  and  then  there  is 
Rodrig  de  Triana,  who  is  not  worth  a  peso,  but  we 
have  his  fathers  I.  O.  U.  for  the  amount,  and  no  doubt 
he  will  have  to  pay  it!" 

And  now  a  mother  offers  up  a  prayer  for  her 
son.  *'Holy  Mother,  you  can  protect  my  boy  and 
bring  him  back  to  me.  You  know  how  much  I  love 
him.  You  were  a  mother  yourself,  and  know  how 
dear  the  child  is  to  her  who  bore  it.     Amen.  '* 

The  only  encouragement  came  from  boys  of  twelve 
to  eighteen,  who  had  not  arrived  at  the  age  of  bal- 
ance, but  who  long  for  adventure,  being  full  of 
courage  and  energy,  and  nothing  to  lose  in  the  way 
of  funds.  But  the  Captain  of  the  120  men  was  in 
heaven  upon  earth;  his  ambition  was  unbounded, 
having  a  superabundance  of  faith  in  the  enterprise; 
all  of  which  was  very  requisite  to  counteract  the 
chilly  encouragement  usually  received  by  him. 

At  last  all  hands  are  on  board.  Tlie.  Pinta,  being- 
the  fastest  sailer,  took  the  lead,  and  amid  the  prayers 
tears  and  sobs  of  those  on  the  little  island  of  Saltes 
the  boats  sailed  down  the  river  Tinto  and  out  into 
the  Atlantic. 

Although  the  Captain  had  studied  Aristotle's 
account  and  map  of  the  West,  compiled  300  B.C.,  who 
then  declared  the  world  to  be  round,  as  well  as 
Seneca  the  Spaniard  who  affirmed  that  India  could 
be  reached  from  the  west,  and  had  conversed  with 
the  noted  Americus,  now  known  as  America,  and  the 
great  geographer  of  Palos,  whose  name  is  lost  but 
who    was    a  friend  of    Father  Perez    of  La  Rabida 


8  THE   COMPASS    PREVARICATES. 

Monastery,  and  much  interested  in  all  matters  relat- 
ing to  explorations  and  discovery  of  new  lands,  and 
had  also  corresponded  with  the  famous  Italian 
mathematician,  Troscanelle,  who  gave  him  every 
encouragement,  and  lastly  but  more  important,  not- 
withstanding he  had  for  many  years  attended  tlio 
great  Naval  College  and  Observatory  at  Lisbon,  e.iid 
the  compass  had  been  in  use  for  600  years,  it  had 
never  been  intimated  that  the  magnetic  iieedio 
would  NOT  infallibly  point  to  the  north  star;  OAid 
notwitlistanding  he  had  had  many  talks  with  hid 
wife's  father,  Bartholomew  Perestrello.  who  was  at 
navigator,  his  very  soul  was  tried  when  after  for  by- 
three  days  on  the  great  ocean  he  found  that  the  needlo) 
did  not  point  to  the  north  star  as  usual.  Realizing  tho> 
superstition  of  his  crew,  he  endeavored  to  keep  them 
in  ignorance,  but  there  were  men  of  middle  age  who 
had  led  nautical  careers  all  their  life  and  could  not  bOi 
fooled;  and  then  began  the  Captain's  trouble..  Ho. 
was  compelled  to  deceive  his  officers  and  sailors,  xox*' 
lie  well  knew  their  superstition  and  was  cognizant), 
that  if  they  realized  all  that  their  commander  did,, 
they  would  mutiny;  so  he  resorted  to  deception,  giving? 
them  the  theory  that  the  polar  star  revolved  around  a/* 
given  point,  and  owing  to  the  distance  traveled  the* 
^tar  did  not  appear  in  the  same  spot  as  nearer  home,,, 
and  to  support  his  explanation,  he  convinced  hicji 
crew^  by  showing  that  the  farther  west  they  wenfct 
the  greater  the  varitation.  But  the  great  navigator' 
^m  conipelled  to  falsify  the  distaa.ce  traveled,  i'oi:^ 
wlmi  they  w^re  2,200  miles  from  the  C^^nary^  Islands, 
tli  told  tUem  they  had  come  only  1,560  miles,  thua 


/     COLUMBUS   FALSIFIED.  9 

deceiving  tnem  over  one  third.  Of  course  had  he 
failed  to  make  good  his  assertion  of  being  able  to 
reach  the  Indies  by  sailing  west,  instead  of  east, then 
posterity  would  have  condemned  him  as  being  a 
fraud,  in  fact  in  all  problbility  he  would  never  have 
been  heard  of,  as  many  another  who  do  not  succeed. 
Would  not  Aguinaldo  have  been  the  Father  of  his 
Country,  had  he  succeeded  in  forming  a  government? 
Columbus  was  justified,  for  even  in  this  enlighten- 
ed age  sailors  who  went  with  the  Nares  expedition  to 
explore  for  the  pole  liad  the  idea  that  if  they  did  not 
have  a  child's  caul  with  them  they  surely  would  be 
drowned.  So  is  there  any  wonder  that  the  uneducated 
seamen  were  doubtful,  if  not  actually  scared?  and 
so  Columbus  must  be  excused  for  worrying,  for 
all  the  professors  of  navigation  who  taught  in  the 
Royal  College  at  Lisbon  had  no  conception  of  such  vari- 
ation of  the  needle.  But  now  it  is  known  how  the 
earth's  electrical  currents  vary  in  different  parts  of 
the  globe. 

The  map  shows  the  Canary  Islands  to  be  in 
latitude  27  north  and  the  seaman  Triana  called  ''Land 
ho!  Land  ho!"  in  latitude  about  25,  only  two  degrees 
south  of  that  of  the  Canaries,  or  about  140  miles; 
so  the  Ocean  Pathfinder  must  have  been  imbued 
with  the  old  adage,  *'Go  West  and  grow  up  with  the 
country." 

It  is  a  peculiar  coincidence  that  the  capital  of  the 
World  (Washington)  should  be  exactly  due  north  of 
the  Island  of  San  Salvador,  being  only  about  ten 
miles  from  the  nearest  point  of  the  Island.  While  on 
the  subject  of  coincidents,  and  to  demonstrate  that 


10  FRIDAY   NOT  UNLUCKY. 

the  unlucky  day  has  been  mahgned,  (for,  was  it  not  a 
piece  of  luck  that  our  Western  World  was  discovered 
on  Friday?  How  superstitious  some  people  are!)  let 
us  look  at:lliis  record:  

Friday,  August  3rd,  left  Palos. 

Friday,  October  12th,  landed  at  San  Saivaaor. 

Friday, ,  left  New  World  for  home. 

Fi'iday,  February  15th,  first  saw  land  on  return. 

Friday,  March  15th,  arrived  at  Palos. 

But  Columbus  and  his  men  must  be  transplantea 
in  our  minds  from  the  supposed  Indies  to  the 
little  port  of  Palos,  where  they  arrived  with  the  Pinta 
and  the  Nina  with  eighty-one  of  the  one  hundred  and 
twenty  souls,  having  been  gone  seven  months  and 
twelve  days,  traveling  over  tho  trackless  ocean  about 
2,900  leagues,  or  8,000  miles  in  round  numbers. 

The  Santa  Maria  had  been  lost,  and  owing  to  the 
lack  of  means  to  transport,  or  perhaps  to  hold  the 
country  while  the  discoverers  returned  to  Europe, 
thirty-nine  men  were  left  at  Port  au  Paix,  Hayti,  all 
of  whom  were  killed  by  the  natives. 

It  has  been  heretofore  stated  that  the  two 
vessels  arrived  with  eighty-one  people,  but  we  must 
add  a  little  history.  * 'Columbus  tried  to  induce  some 
of  the  natives  (of  San  Salvador)  to  go  with  him  and 
show  where  the  land  of  gold  was  to  be  found.  But 
this  they  refused  to  do;  so  on  the  next  day,  Sunday 
the  14th,  taking  by  force  seven  natives  that  he  might 
instruct  them  in  Spanish  and  make  interpreters  of 


COLON   KroNAPPED  INDIANS.  11 

them,  he  set  sail  to  discover  if  possible  where  |?old 
was  to  be  had."  Also  before  sailing  from  Cuba,  he 
lured  on  board  six  men,  seven  women  and  three 
children.  So  he  arrived  home  with  thirteen  men, 
seven  women  and  three  children;  total,  twenty-three 
Indians. 

Palos  is  about  550  miles  as  the  crow  Hies  to 
Barcelona,  and  yet  ''he  journeyed^to  Court,  his  pro- 
cession was  a  most  imposing  one  as  it  thronged  the 
streets,  his  Indians  leading  the  line  v»4th  birds  of 
briUiant  plumage,  the  skins  of  unknov/n  animals, 
strange  plants  and  ornaments  from  the  persons  of 
dusky  natives  shimmering  in  the  air." 

Upon  reaching  Barcelona,  and  being  brought 
before  the  King  and  Queen,  Columbus  vras  lauded 
to  his  heart's  content.  No  ivjin  in  the  history  of 
nations  received  more  adulation,  and  tlie  prom^ise  of 
riches  was  enough  to  turn  a  m'la's  head;  and  in  fact 
he  then  thought  it  certain  that  he  would  be  able  to 
equip  an  expedition  to  the  Holy  'Lvral  to.  v/rest  the 
Holy  Place  from  the  MoorG.  Thiij.Vj'as  one  of  his 
ambitions. 

The  man  of  the  liftGenLh  century,  made  three 
other  voyages,  each  more  e.vtensi>/p.  ibaii^  .the  one 
before,  bringing  back  gold  and  miny  .qil.kor  rare 
articles  as  well  as  500  Indians  to  be  sold  as  sLives, 
his  last  return  to  his  adopted  cjanlry  beLag  in  1504. 

Is  it  possible  to  contomplpote  tlxO- v^xcileujicut  and 
fervor  that  prevailed  during  the  tv.  el\  3  years  o2  dis- 
covery by  Columbus?  The  spirit  oi  -advoniuro  took 
hold  of  the  people,  both  rich  end  p'jor,  hlgii  ^j\d  iir//, 
to  such  a  degree  that  Spain   went   mad  iirj  uxd  'tiio 


12  ANGELS  ARE  MARCONl'S  MESSENGERS. 

Israelites  when  they  concluded  to  leave  Egypt  for  the 
''Promised  Land".  A  comparison  can  be  made  of 
the  opening  of  the  16th  century  in  Spain  with  the 
craze  which  prevailed  in  Europe  during  the  Crusades; 
the  John  Law  Mississippi  scheme  of  1719  was  but  an 
infant  enterprise.  By  comparison  this  was  the  size 
of  the  French  project,  and  here  is  the  difference. 
The  reason  for  this  is  the  fact  that  it  took  some 
money  to  buy  stock  in  the  great  French  corporation; 
but  the  sixteen  year  old  boy  of  Spain  was  imbued 
with  the  innate  and  natural  desire  for  adventure, 
with  an  opportunity  to  procure  land  and  a  home  and 
riches.  The  wealthy  class  took  hold  of  various  ex- 
peditions, expecting  returns  many  fold. 

To  grasp  a  proposition  one  must  be  able  to  make 
comparisons,  so  here  are  some:  In  the  year  1861  a 
sound  went  vibrating  round  the  world.  It  was  made 
by  a  few  pounds  of  gunpowder.  It  was  a  voice  in 
thunder  tones  that  commanded  the  Southern  States 
'To  Arms,  to  Arms,  Ye  Braves",  and  to  the  North  it' 
Tividly  brought  to  mind  the  truth  of  the  adage,  "In 
Union  there  is  strength".  Those  who  remember  the 
intense  excitement  that  prevailed  during  four  years 
of  that  memorable  struggle  KNOW  what  it  is  for  a 
nation  to  become  intensely  in  earnest.  The  Span- 
iards during  the  twelve  years  of  Christopher's  ex- 
ploits talked  and  thought  of  nothing  else  but  the 
riches  and  the  possibihties  of  the  Indies. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  there  were  no 
Atlantic  cables  or  telephones,  and  Marconi  had  not 
communed  with  God  and  arranged  to  have  messages 
transom  it  ted  by  unknown  and  UNSEP^N  messengers; 


MOTECUHZOMA  NOT   MONTEZUMA.  13 

and  3^et  the  news  took  wings,  so  that  even  before  the 
end  of  the  last  voyage  of  Colon  there  was  many  bucca- 
neers who  took  ships  to  wrest  riches  and  land  from 
the  natives  of  the  ''New  World/'  It  was  only  twenty- 
six  years  from  the  year  that  the  first  party  returned 
that"  Cortes  had  conquered  King  Motecuhzoma, 
(Montezuma  was  the  spelling,  but  the  above  is 
according  to  the  14th  Annual  report  of  the  United 
States  Bureau  of  Ethnology;  which  is  authoritative.) 
and  the  Mexican  country,  and  thirty-nine  years  until 
the  Pizzaro  brothers  made  Peru  a  Spanish  colony. 

Let  us  do  a  little  figuring.  Cortes  took  with  him 
about  700  men  when  he  subdued  the  Mexicans,  and 
history  states  that  he  received  from  King  Monte- 
cuhzoma  who  tried  to  buy  him  off,  $7,000,000,  so  if 
this  sum  is  divided  by  that  number,  it  would  allot  to 
each  individual  $10,000.  Again,  the  Pizzaros  made 
the  ruler  of  Peru  fill  a  room  with  gold  and  silver, 
which  is  stated  as  having  amounted  to  $17,000,000, 
and  the  invaders  numbered  500  soldiers,  so  if  this 
sum  is  divided  by  that  number,  it  would  allot  to  each 
individual  $34,000.  Ye  gods,  is  there  any  wonder 
that  nearly  every  young  man  in  Spain  became 
unbalanced  ? 


SECOND,-- 

'A. 

The  World  Was  Astounded 
When  Cortes  New  Spain  Founded. 


T  WAS  the  learned  men  of  the 
University  of  Salamanca  and  three 
other  colleges  thei  e  located  to  whom 
King  Ferdinand  referred  Columbus' 
project  of  reaching  India  by  sailing 
west.  It  was  these  scientists  who 
rejected  the  claims  of  Columbus  as  being  visionary 
and  impractical.  Here  in  this  Harvard-Yale  seat  of 
learning  the  principal  personage  of  this  narration 
was  born,  Francisco  Vasques  Coronado. 

He  was  noble  by  birth  and  education,  being 
trained  to  the  profession  of  arms,  and  from  boyhood 
had  been  encouraged  to  become  an  expert  horseman 
as  weU  as  to  be  proficient  in  the  manual  of  arms. 
His  father  being  an  officer  of  etate  and  of  great 
influence  was  able  to  give  him  every  advantage.  Before 
completing  his  education  at  the  Salamanca  Universi- 
ty in  the  year  1528,  the  great.  Cortes,  then  Governor 
of  Mexico,  visited  Spain,  and  was  the  hero  of  Europe. 
The  eclat  received  by  the  conqueror  naturally  fired 


BOYHOOD  OF    OUR  HERO.  15 

the  youth  of  the  country  with  a  longing  to  emulate 
their  great  countryman;  so  when  Coronado  had  com- 
pleted his  education,  being  of  the  manor  born, 
and  having  from  childhood  been  fed  on  the  legends  of 
the  chivalric  Cid,  naturally  with  eagerness  sought 
his  fathers  friend,  Antonio  de  Mendoza,  when  the 
King  appointed  him  Governor  of  Mexico  to  succeed 
the  deposed  Cortes,  to  procure  a  commission  to  ac- 
company the  newly  appointed  Governor  of  Mexico. 
For  several  months,  while  the  expedition  was  being 
equipped,  Coronado  at  his  home  v/as  gathering  up  his 
paraphernalia,  such  as  horses,  armor,  harquebusses, 
swords,  personel  retinue  of  servants  and  fighting 
men,  which  made  a  great  commotion  in  the  city  of 
Salamanca.  The  17,000  students  who  v^ere  that  year 
attending  the  numerous  institutions  of  learning  in 
that  famous  city  and  the  magnificent  display  of  war- 
like preparations  were  indelibly  branded  upon  the 
brain  of  many  a  boy  who  was  in  his  teens  attending 
school. 

There  was  one  young  Spaniard  who  was  in 
heaven  during  the  period  of  this  bustle.  Wiuh  all 
the  energy  of  youth  he  took  his  lessons,  not  only 
from  the  professors  of  learning,  but  he  toiled  early 
and  late  to  acquire  all  the  elements  necessary  to 
constitute  a  Cavalier.  At  this  period  of  history  war 
was  the  craze  of  Europe,  and  particularly  of  Spain: 
so  is  there  any  wonder  that  the  school-boy  here  re- 
ferred to  should  be  ambitious  to  become  a  MAN? 
How  natural  it  is  for  a  boy  to  have  a  longing  to  reach 
manhood,  and  on  the  other  hand,  when  a  man  arrives 
at   middle  life,    how   he   would   like    to  be  young. 


16  ^  DEFINITION  OF  GENTLEMAN. 

And  what  had  his  father  admonished  him  to  acquire  f 

FIRST. 

To  hate  the  Moors  and  Mohammedans,  and  to 
rid  Spain  of  the  remnant  which  still  held  part  of 
their  country. 

SECOND. 

To  he  a  good  Catholic  and  go  to  confessional 
regularly.      ,    ,  . 

THIRD. 

Regardless  of  the  company  he  was  in  to  always 
be  a  gentleman. 

FOURTH. 

To  learn  all  the  arts  of  a  soldier,  which  includes 
heing  faithful  to  the  King,  brave,  a  good  horseman, 
as  well  as  to  be  able  to  care  for  him,  a  crack  shot, 
a  skilled  swordsman,  to  teach  his  horse  to  swim,  as 
well  as  himself,  and  to  acquire  the  art  of  drill,  drill, 
drill,  so  as  to  become  proficient  in  military  evolutions. 

FIFTH. 

And  not  to  neglect  his  book  studies,  astronomy 
being  very  requisite  when  on  the  ocean  or  in  strange 
countries,  and  mathematics,  geography,  mechanics, 
Jus  Gentium  (Law  of  Nations),  as  well  as  the  laws  of 
Spain,  navigation  and  medicine,  all  of  which  are  pre- 
requisites to  qualify  a  man  to  become  a  leader  and 
commander  of  his  fellows. 

Shortly  after  the  foregoing  colloquy  or  lecture, 
our  boy  put  this  question  to  his  noble,  beautiful  and 
splendid  parent: 


KEEP  YOUR  HEAD  UP.  17 

**MothGr,  will  you  be  kind  enough  to  explain  the 
meaning  of  gentleman?  Father  told  me  to  always  ba 
a  gentleman."  The  mother  responded  to  the  boy's 
interrogatory  as  follows: 

**My  dear  boy,  I  am  not  qualified  to  instruct  you 
in  this  regard,  except  from  the  feminine  point  of 
view,  which  no  doubt  is  not  what  the  average  maa 
would  affirm;  but,  my  son,  since  you  have  made  the 
request  it  is  my  duty  to  instruct  you. 

*'Well,  God  forgive  me,  but  a  gentleman  must  be 
handsome.  I  know  this  is  not  according  to  the 
teaching  and  precepts  promulgated  by  our  Master, 
but  it  is  the  frailty  of  woman,  and  my  son,  before  I 
leave  the  first  proposition  let  me  impress  ui)on 
you  the  imperative  necessity  of  keeping  your 
head  erect,  shoulders  back  and  chest  forward  while 
you  are  growing  into  manhood;  cultivate  a  carriage 
which  will  stamp  you  as  a  gentleman;  and  mind  you, 
it  must  become  so  natural  to  stand  erect  that  you 
will  do  so  as  do  your  legs  when  walking,  for  do  we 
not  take  the  strides  with  our  Hmbs  without  realiiiag 
that  we  are  doing  so?  And  thus  it  is  with  our  bearing; 
it  must  be  cultivated  until,  like  the  trained  tree  it 
becomes  natural;  and,  my  dear  son,  I  trust  some  day 
to  have  the  gratification  of  hearing  your  voice  raised 
in  the  Cortes  of  our  beloved  country,  therefore  let 
me  admonish  you  of  training  your  voice,  as  well  as 
your  body,  that  is  to  acquire  a  good,  deep  sonorous 
tone  of  conversation,  and  this  must  become  so  natur- 
al that  when  facing  an  audience  while  making  a 
public  speech  no  heed  or  thought  is  given  to  tone,  but 
theme,  for  a  squeaky  orator  is  an  abomination.  * 


18  BE   TRUTHFUL  BE   SPIRITUAL. 

So  much  for  the  outward  man,    which  is   only  the 
rudi-ments  of  a  gentleman. 

*'And  now  for  the  soul  or  unseen  parts  which 
goes  to  make  up  the  definition.  Pure  thoughts  are 
as  honey  in  the  comb,  for  is  not  honey-comb  unpalat- 
able without  the  nectar  deposited  therein?  And  so 
the  face  of  ay/oman  cannot  be  sweet  or  beautiful,  or  a 
man  will  not  be  attractive  or  handsome  unless  there 
is  reflected  upon  the  mirror  of  the.  countenance 
desires  as  i^ure  as  distilled  cr^^stal  water. 

**My  dear  son,  to  attemi^t  to  enumerate  all  the 
things  which  are  required  to  make  a  gentlem^an  in 
the  All-Seeing;  l^yo,  as  V7cll  as  by  appearances,  are 
beyond  my  descriptive  powers,  but  the  principal 
things  are 

BE  TEUTIIFUL, 

BE  CHARITABLE, 
BE  SPIRITUAL, 
BE  HOPEFUL." 

And  this  is  how  our  hero  was  to  be  roared.  Is 
there  any  wonder  that  such  a  youth  of  eighteen  was 
thrilled  with  that  thirst  for  adventure  which  is  in- 
exphcable?  But  for  a  few  years  we  must  permit 
our  student  to  complete  his  education  before  bring- 
ing him  upon  the  scene  of  action. 

Mendoza,  the  newly  appointed  Governor  of  New 
Spain  (Mexico),  finally  in  1535  had  his  ships  and  men 
ready  to  sail  for  the  New  World,  and  Coronado  with 
his  retinue  accompanied  him. 

It  is  well  to  note  that  this  expedition  comprised 


THE  GOOD  GOVERNOR  MENDOZA.  19 

many  vessels  and  soldiers,  because  once  before  a 
Governor  bad  been  sent  to  depose  Cortes,  but  be 
captured  them  and  refused  to  resign  his  rule  of  the 
immense  and  wealthy  country  which  he  had  conquer- 
ed, and  the  King  of  Spain  did  not  know  but  the  same 
thing  would  prevail,  hence  the  necessity  of  making 
such  a  large  display  of  force  so  as  to  convince  the 
conqueror  of  the  uselessness  of  opposition. 

The  army  duly  reached  Vera  Cruz,  it  being  the 
nearest  port  to  the  City  of  Mexico,  which  was  180 
miles  distant,  and  the  new  Governor  was  duly  install- 
ed, Cortes  stepping  down  without  opposition. 

And  now  Governor  Mendoza,  having  the  govern- 
ment in  his  hands,  as  well  as  occupying  the  palace 
where  Motecuhzoma,  King  of  the  Aztecs,  resided 
when  the  Spaniards  first  reached  that  country,  and 
having  the  powers  of  an  autocrat,  all  important  mat- 
ters were  referred  to  him. 

About  a  year  after  the  Viceroy's  arrival  at  the 
capital,  he  and  Coronado  and  some  other  state  officers 
were  in  consultation  when  an  officer  of  the  guard 
came  in,  and  after  the  usual  military  salutation  an- 
nounced "that  four  men  with  a  marvelous  story 
desired  audience  with  His  Excellency." 

After  some  questioning  the  officer  was  ordered 
to  bring  the  men  into  the  presence  of  the  Governor, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  four  men  stood  before  the 
august  assemblage.  One  of  the  four,  Alonso  del 
Castillo  Maldonado,  whose  home  was  in  Salamanca, 
had  known  Coronado  in  that  city,  and  that  gentleman 
at  once  showed  his  pleasure  in  meeting  a  fellow- 
tov/nsman;  then  Maldonado,  having  such  a  friend  at 


^0  A   MARVELOUS   JOURNEY. 

court,  introduced  the  other  three  by  stating,  ''Your 
Excellencies,  I  have  the  pleasure  of  introducing  to 
you  Cabeza  de  Vaca,  my  commander  and  superior 
of&cer,  and  this  is  Lieutenant  Andres  Dorantes  and 
that  is  Stephen,  "the  last  named  a  Barbery  Negro. 
After  the  introduction  the  four  men  were  requested 
to  be  seated.  Maldonado  then  asked  De  Vaca  to 
recite  the  story  of  their  travels  and  adventures,  who,, 
arising  and  making  the  sign  of  the  cross,  proceeded 
with  the  following  narration: 

* 'Eight  years  ago  w^e  four  left  Seville  with 
Panfilo  de  Narvaez.  He  had  command  of  the  expedi- 
tion, which  comprised  four  vessels  and  600  men. 
We  pul^  In  at  Havana  for  repairs  and  to  replace  one 
of  Our  ships  which  had  been  wrecked,  and  then  set 
sail  for  the  coast  lying  east  of  this  colony,  but  owing 
to  the  storms  we  encountered,  we  were  driven  out 
of  our  course,  but  the  pilots  said  that  the  place 
where  we  landed,  (Tampa  Bay,  Florida),  was  but  a 
short  distance  from  our  destination.  Our  party 
numbered  COO  men  and  fifty  horses. 

"After  unloading  the  equipment  and  supplies 
Narvaez  sent  one  ship  back  to  Havana  for  recruits, 
the  other  three  were  to  sail  along  the  coast  towards 
the  north  and  west  and  then  return. 

"Finally  we  began  our  march.  We  took  a  north 
erly  direction,  and  then  turned  towards  the  west. 
Our  progress  was  slow,  for  our  men  knew  nothing  of 
the  country,  and  the  forests  and  morasses  presented 
many  difficulties.  Our  men  were  unused  to  travel- 
ing through  such  dense  timber  and  the  Indians 
would   give   us   no   help,    but  soon  became  openly 


THE  ROUTE  OF  THE  FOUR.         21 

hostUo  whenever  we  encountered  them.  Then  food 
became  scarce,  and  nothing  would  mduce  the  natives 
to  revoal  hidden  stores  of  corn  or  gold.  Weocm- 
tinued  to  march  for  about  a  month  when  we  arrived 
at  a  very  large  river  with  a  very  strong  current  flow- 
ing towards  the  south'*.  ( This  must  have  been  the 
Apalachicola  river),  and  it  was  about  April  19th  when 
they  left  Tampa  and  arrived  at  this  river  May  15th 
or  twenty  seven  days,  now  it  is  about  160  miles  north 
from  their  new  starting  place  to  New  Troy,  Florida, 
and  from  there  west  and  a  httle  north  to  Tallahassee 
is  another  eighty  miles  and  from  thence  west  to  the 
river  he  described  is  about  fifty  more,  so  in  twenty 
ieven  days  they  traveled,  say  300  miles  or  an  average 
of  about  eleven  miles  a  day,  which  considering  its  be- 
ing virgin  forest,  without  roads,  as  well  as  being 
continually  annoyed  by  the  natives,  makes  a  very  fair 
average.  De  Vaca  continuing  his  narration  stated: 
"When  we  arrived  at  this  large  stream  our  men  were 
very  much  discouraged,  none  of  them  had  ever  en- 
countered such  woodlands  before,  and  owing  to  their 
having  no  experience  in  woodcraft,  it  tried  them 
sorely  to  transport  the  baggage  and  cannon  over  the 
pathless  wilderness.  Tlie  day  we  reached  the  banks  of 
this  river,  Narvaez  held  a  council  of  officers  to  discuss 
matters  and  it  was  decided  to  send  a  party  along  the 
banks  of  this  river,  until  the  sea  was  reached  and 
your  most  humble  servant  had  the  honor  to  be  se- 
lected to  command  the  expedition.  We  arrived  at  the 
sea  shore  and  for  several  days  waited  to  endeavor 
to  sight  our  three  vessels  but  failed  to  do  so/' 

(Due  west  of  Tallahassee  to  the  river  would  striktt^ 


22  ENDURANCE  OP  THE  SPANIARDS. 

a  point  about  sixty  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the 
river.)  Continuing  the  narration  he  went  on  to  say: 
**When  we  got  back  the  army  was  very  much  dis- 
couraged and  it  was  decided  to  continue  our  march 
towards  the  west.  We  built  rough  rafts  from  the 
trees,  transported  our  men,  horses  and  baggage 
across  and  continued  our  wpvy,  plodding  on  and  on 
until  another  large  river  blocked  our  progress 
towards  the  west.'' 

(This  must  have  been  the  Alabama  river,  for  it  is 
interesting  to  examine  the  map  of  Alabama  and  see 
how  near  are  the  rivers,  Alabama  and  Mobile,  not  to 
exceed  ten  miles  apart,  and  they  must  have  reached 
the  first  named.  These  two  rivers  flow  for  sixty  miles 
towards  the  south  and  are  not  more  than  ten  miles 
apart  and  both  are  navig^ible  streams  and  each  emp- 
ties into  Mobile  bay;  it  is  about  175  miles  west  from 
the  Apalachicola  river  to  the  Alabama  river.) 

De  Vaca,  in  his  story,  then  told-  ''Upon  reach- 
ing this  second  stream,  we  concluded  to  skirt  along 
its  banks  south  until  the  sea  was  reached  hoping  to 
find  our  ships.  We  finally  arrived  at  a  fine  bay  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river  on  the  last  day  of  July.  We  were 
very  much  demoralized  and  weak,  owing  to  the  lack 
of  food;  in  fact,  when  we  reached  the  ocean,  we  had 
eaten  our  last  horse  and  to  commemorate  this  fact  we 
named  the  place  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  Bahia  de 
las  Cavarros.  Up  to  this  time  we  had  found  no  trace 
of  gold  and  very  little  food  and  the  country  not  inhab- 
itable for  white  men  by  reason  of  the  swampy  nature 
of  the  soil,  we  were  all  thoroughly  disheartened  es- 
pecially when  nothing  of  o'v  -nils  could  be  seen.'* 


A  BLUNT  SOLDIER  TALKS.  23 

(It  is  about  125  mUes  to  the  second  river  and 
supposing  they  were  fifty  miles  from  its  confluence 
when  they  ceased  to  continue  west,  so  it  would  make 
about  another  222  miles  traveled  the  second  time,  and 
say  it  took  them  a  month  for  De  Vaca  to  go  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Apalachicola  and  return  and  to  con- 
struct the  rafts  to  cross  it,  so  they  were  a  month  go- 
ing the  last  225  miles  to  reach  Mobile  Bay,  and 
realizing  they  had  eaten  their  horses  and  were  phy- 
sically weak,  it  would  api>ear  that  an  average  of  about 
eight  miles  a  day  was  doing  very  well.) 

Upon  reaching  this  point  in  the  account  of  their 
route,  De  Vaca  addressed  the  man  who  was 
acquainted  with  Coronado,  and  requested  him  to 
proceed  with  the  story. 

Senor  Maldornado  taldng  up  the  thread  of  the 
narrative  said:  *'Your  Excellencies  will  pardon  my 
lack  of  descriptive  powers,  for  I  am  a  blunt  soldier, 
and  although  my  parents  favored  me  with  a  good 
education,  it  being  their  intention  to  have  me  enter 
holy  orders,  but  Holy  Mother,  bless  them,  they 
reckoned  without  knowing  their  own  flesh  and  blood, 
for  truth  impels  me  to  confess  my  boyhood  dreams 
were  of  adventure.  But  although  many  Avorks  of 
travel  and  adventure  have  been  read,  yet  never  did  I 
read  of  such  an  adventure  and  experience  as  this 
Bxpedition  encountered,  for  what  with  the  heat,  quag- 
mires, flies  that  raised  lumps  on  our  skin,  (mos- 
(juitoes),  big  trees  with  thick  underbrash  to  obstruct 
Dur  passage,  and  then  the  Indians  trying  to  an:  bush 
as,  and  last,  but  worst  of  all,  the  scarcity  of  food, 
aaade  it  a  hard  lot  indeed. 


24  SWORDS  MADE  INTO  NAII.S. 

"When  we  failed  of  our  ships,  owing  to  our 
desperate  condition  and  after  earnest  deliberation, 
we  solemnly  resolved  to  leave  the  country  at  any  risk. 
So  we  all  went  to  work  with  a  will,  to  construct  five 
boats  with  which  to  escape.  We  erected  forges  and 
used  iron  implements  to  make  the  saws,  axes  and 
nails  necessary.  Our  stirrups,  spurs,  swords,  in  fact 
nothing  was  exempt  only  our  harquebuses,  which  we 
realized  must  be  retained  for  protection;  but  the  most 
valuable  and  precious  accoutrements  were  mutilated 
to  save  our  lives,  and,  Senor,  you  could  not  help  smile 
had  you  seen  our  sails  and  ropes;  the  first  were  made 
of  hides  pieced  with  the  shirts  of  the  men,  and  the 
ropes  were  of  the  horsehair  from  our  dead  animals. 
I  think  it  was  Septemb^^r  22nd  that  we  embarked. 
There  were  about  forty-five  men  to  each  boat,  none  of 
whom  had  any  experience  in  navigation,  as  those  who 
came  from  home  who  were  accustomed  to  such  had 
all  gone  in  our  ships.  It  happened  that  we  four  were 
assigned  to  the  same  boat.  We  endeavored  to  steer 
westward,  keeping  near  the  land  and  stopping  occa- 
sionally for  water  and  to  shoot  meat  to  live  upon. 

**Towards  the  end  of  October  we  came  to  a  very 
powerful  river.  Its  current  was  so  strong  that  it 
drove  the  boats  out  to  sea  and  so  much  fresh  vsrater 
ca.me  down  that  for  a  league,  (2.42  miles),  for  the  life 
of  us  we  could  not  enter  the  mouth.  And  now  the 
sad  part  of  our  story  is  reached,  for  it  was  here  wb 
lost  our  commander,  Narvaez,  his  boat  and  that  which 
held  the  friars  were  wrecked  and  all  drowned.  Our 
boat  and  the  two  others  continued  to  make  our  way 
along  the  coast  thinking  to  reach  this  province,  but  it 


RESCUED  BY   THE  INDIANS.  25 

was  not  to  be,  for  after  going  west  from  where  we 
lost  our  commander,  we  were  all  wrecked  in  a  storm 
and  driven  ashore." 

(Pardon  the  digression,  but  this  river  spoken  of 
was  the  Mississippi,  so  that  the  five  boats  sailed  from 
Mobile  Bay,  a  distance  of  about  160  miles,  when  they 
met  with  disaster,  but  the  authorities  are  not  in  har- 
mony as  to  the  place  where  the  three  remaining  boats 
were  driven  ashore,  but  Galveston  seems  to  be  about 
the  point,  which  would  then  be  another  340  miles,  a 
total  of  500  miles  covered  by  the  four  rudely  con- 
structed boats.) 

Maldonado  continuing  the  account  of  their 
experiences  further  said:  *'The  natives  were  watch- 
ing us  when  our  four  boats  went  ashore;  they  treated 
us  kindly  owing  to  despondency  and  lack  of  cour- 
age, for,  as  you  know,  when  men  are  lacking  food,  it 
soon  makes  cowards  of  them;  but  there  was  no  neces- 
sity of  resisting,  so  the  120  men  allowed  themselves 
to  be  captured  by  our  rescuers.  We  were  able  to 
save  all  our  harquebuses  and  powder.  This  was 
agreed  upon  when  we  saw  ourselves  drifting  ashore 
and  witnessed  the  crowds  of  natives  awaiting  our  be- 
ing cast  on  the  land;  we  expected  the  Indians  would 
attempt  to  massacre  us,  but  instead,  they  helped  us 
out  of  our  dilemma. 

* 'After  being  given  food  and  recruiting  our 
strength  for  a  few  days,  all  hands  with  the  assistance 
of  the  Indians  took  the  wrecked  boats  apart  and  we 
constructed  buildings  for  ourselves  which  made  us 
quite  comfortable. 

"Prom  the  time  of  losing  Narvaez,  the  genius  of 


23  FIGKT   FOR  INDIAN   WIVES. 

the  Gxpedition  was  that  man,  (pointing  to  De  Vaca), 
mid  en  being  cast  among  barbarians,  it  was  he  who 
kept  us  all  from  giving  up.  He  imbued  us  with  the 
KOPE  that  Vv"e  would  return  home,  and  for  five  years 
wo  remained  vfith  the  tribe  He  Vv^as  our  counsellor 
and  guiding  star.  And  now.  you  vf ill  forgive  me  for 
referring  to  a  part  of  our  experiences  Vv^liich  may  not 
be  considered  honorable  to  you  gentlemen,  but  the 
truth  must  be  told.  We  soon  became  strong  and  of 
good  health  and  being  only  men,  some  of  my  country- 
men, and,  in  fact,  I  may  admit  all,  began  to  antago- 
nize the  miale  portion  of  the  tribe,  and  it  seemed  as 
though  there  would  be  trouble  come  of  it,  but  De  Vaca 
soon  acquired  enough  of  their  language  and  having 
read  Roman  history,  remembered  how  the  Romans 
did  to  procure  wives  from  the  Sabines.  So  De  Vaca 
got  to  talking  to  the  chief  who  was  made  to  compre- 
hend that  if  there  were  any  other  tribes  we  v/ould  go 
and  fight  for  women.  It  transpired  that  like  all  the 
tribes,  there  was  a  feud  between  our  Indians  and  an- 
other nation,  and  after  a  council' of  the  principal  men 
as  well  as  ourselves,  it  Vv^as  decided  to  fit  out  a  strong 
party  and  attack  the  other  people  and  endeavor  to 
capture  wives  for  our  men. 

"Don't  forget  that  we  had  our  firearms;  of  course 
we  did  not  have  one  for  each  of  our  120  men,  but 
there  were  about  fifty  harquebuses  and  enough  pow- 
der and  lead  to  fire  each  harquebus  seventy-five  times 
before  the  same  could  be  exhausted.  So  we  figured 
that  the  fifty  harquebuses  would,  with  care,  kill  or 
maim  2500  men.  We  were  told  that  the  enemy  were 
more  powerful  than  our  people,  but  that  their  women 


BULLETS  VS.   BOWS  AND    ARROWS.  27 

were  comely,  which  as  you  understand  fired  us  with 
a  desire  for  them  that  made  us  recldess. 

**As  soon  as  it  was  decided  to  attack  the  enemy, 
we  began  our  preparations.  Every  nail  and  scrap  ol 
iron  had  been  carefully  collected  which  came  from 
our  boats.  So  we  went  to  work  and  forged  points  for 
our  arrows,  and  made  a  large  number  of  cross-bows, 
so  as  to  equip  our  men  who  had  no  harquebuses,  and 
we  also  assisted  the  Indians  to  arm  themselves  with 
the  new  style  of  bow,  it  being  much  more  effective 
than  the  ones  they  were  using.  When  all  was  ready 
we  started  with  about  a  hundred  of  our  men,  fifty  of 
whom  had  firearms,  the  others  having  powerful  bows 
and  short  knives,  as  the  iron  would  not  permit  of  our 
making  swords.  About  500  Indian  warriors,  the 
pick  of  the  country,  made  up  the  balance  of  the  army. 

"It  must  have  been  about  200  miles  northeast  be- 
fore we  reached  the  city  of  the  enemy.  It  was 
located  near  the  mouth  of  a  good  sized  river,  (Red 
river,  Louisiana),  which  emptied  into  the  Ipj'gest 
stream  I  ever  saw  in  my  life,  (Mississippi). 

"We  attacked  the  city  and  found  swarms  of  fight- 
ing men,  but  the  thunder  and  lightning  of  our  har- 
quebuses appalled  them;  they  were  mowed  down  in 
such  large  numbers  by  fire  as  well  as  by  the  superior 
shooting  power  of  our  bows,  for  by  reason  of  our 
arrows  being  tipped  with  sharpened  iron,  and  as  well 
as  by  the  superior  workmanship  of  our  shafts,  we  hav- 
ing iron  tools  instead  of  stone  with  which  to  dress  and 
shape  the  wood.  They  saw  the  uselessness  of  fur- 
ther resistance;  in  fact,  they  were  so  astounded  at 
the  numerous  things  they  saw  used  In  tne  conflict 


28  DE   VACA  THE  INDEFATIGABLE. 

and  their  superstitions  were  so  worked  upon  that 
they  submitted  to  the  yoke. 

'*There  was  very  httle  property  which  was  worth 
our  carrying  back  home,  but  we  helped  ourselves  to 
beautifully  tanned  robes,  food,  corn,  dogs  and  har- 
ness; also  we  selected  about  300  of  the  youngest  and 
most  desirable  females  as  well  as  200  of  the  youngest 
men,  and  insisted  that  the  vanquished  see  to  carrying 
our  baggage  and  trophies  of  the  contest  towards 
home. 

**It  was  but  a  short  time  that  every  man  of  the 
100  had  selected  a  wife,  we  did  not  lose  a  single  man 
in  the  fight,  and  before  we  reached  home  our  Indian 
wives  discovered  that  we  were  superior  men  to  their 
own,  for  we  treated  them  not  like  slaves,  but  as 
though  we  appreciated  them;  so  before  arriving  home 
they  were  well  satisfied  with  their  masters. 

"You  may  be  sure  that  on  our  arrival  we  were 
feasted  and  lauded  to  such  a  degree  that  it  turned  our 
heads,  but  we  had  lost  our  principal  instruments  of 
power:  there  were  the  fifty  harquebuses  but  no  am- 
munition, hence  they  were  useless.  We  used  to  com- 
mune with  one  another  and  declare  that  if  we  had 
plenty  of  powder  and  lead,  we  would  do  as  Cor- 
tes, subdue  them  and  set  ourselves  up  as  rulers. 

'*From  this  on  we  were  treated  as  though  we 
were  native  born,  but  many  is  the  time  that  Be  Vaca 
would  speak  to  me  about  escaping.  He  was  always 
at  work  endeavoring  to  acquire  not  only  the  language 
of  our  tribe  but  of  any  others  that  he  came  in  contact 
with. 

*1  must  tell  you   one  thing  sure,  so   a  proper 


FIRST   WHITE   MAN   IN    KANSAS.  29 

comprehension  of  the  status  of  affairs  may  be  under- 
stood. We  each  had  a  wife  and  soon  children  came, 
and  the  majority  of  our  party  became  attached  to 
their  famihes,  so  we  dared  not  suggest  that  we  con- 
template escaping,  and  this  is  the  principal  reason 
why  we  four  banded  ourselves  together  in  secret  and 
asked  no  others,  as  it  was  invariably  found  that  they 
were  adverse  to  going  away.  After  being  with  these 
people  for  about  six  years  and  having  learned  their 
language,  we  had  frequently  been  told  that  there 
were  large  and  rich  cities  in  the  north  and  west,  and 
as  near  as  we  could  calculate  we  were  east  of  New 
Spain,  although  we  had  lost  our  bearings;  but  longing 
for  our  native  country,  we  four  concluded  to  make 
our  escape. 

**For  several  months  before  leaving  we  were  care- 
ful to  equip  ourselves  each  with  a  good  bow  and 
arrows  in  which  we  had  become  quite  expert;  also  to 
tan  some  hides  which  we  made  into  clothes.  At  the 
designated  time  we  met  at  the  rendezvous  and  then 
began  the  trip  of  our  lives  which  lasted  over  twenty 
months  before  we  had  the  satisfaction  of  discovering 
this  colony. 

*'To  attempt  to  inform  Your  Excellencies  where 
we  traveled  and  what  we  saw,  would  fill  a  book,  but 
that  you  may  have  some  comprehension  of  the  vast 
unexplored  territory  traversed  by  us,  I  shall  en- 
deavor to  give  the  general  course  pursued,  although 
It  is  impossible  to  come  within  many  leagues.  (Num- 
erous routes  are  given  at  this  date.  Some  even  as- 
sert that  these  four  men  traversed  the  State  of 
Kansas.)  -    ^ 


80     THE  FOUR  ALONG  THE  ARKANSAS. 

"Vv'e  kept  a  northerly  course  until  we  came  to 
the  first  large  river  from  our  starting  place,  (Red 
river),  if  we  were  correct  in  our  reckoning  it  was 
about  250  miles  which  we  crossed,  continuing  north 
until  another  large  stream  was  reached,  (Arkansas), 
which  we  figured  to  be  about  140  miles  further.  This 
one  came  from  the  northeast.  We  continued  along 
its  banks  for  about  thirty  miles  towards  its  source 
and  we  changed  our  course  for  due  west,  and  eter- 
nally west,  WEST,  crossing  mountains  without  any 
road  except  the  paths  made  by  wild  animals.  It  was 
in  these  mountains  that  we  suffered  and  met  our 
greatest  hardships;  we  became  bewildered,  in  truth, 
we  were  lost  in  the  world,  and  that  is  the  reason  we 
decided  to  keep  directly  west,  feeling  certain  it  would 
bring  us  to  the  ocean  if  we  kept  on  that  course. 
Finally  the  ocean  was  seen  and  then  we  skirted 
towards  the  south  hoping  to  find  some  Europeans; 
and  at  last  we  did  meet  with  a  party  of  Spanish 
slave  catchers  near  the  little  village  of  San  Migal  on 
the  coast  of  the  Gulf  of  California.  We  could  not 
have  endured  the  hardships  and  fatigue  much  longer, 
but  our  saviors  gave  us  clothes  to  cover  our  naked- 
ness, and  more  important  still,  food,  which  we  very 
much  needed.  And  here  we  four,  who  for  nearly 
eighli  years  have  been  among  savages,  at  last  have  the 
honor  to  stand  before  Your  Excellencies  to  tell  that 
which  we  sincerely  hope  will  redown  to  the  glory  of 
our  beloved  King  and  Country." 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  narration,  the  viceroy 
requested  Maldonado  to  be  seated  and  then  pro- 
pounded   numerous    interrogatives    to  the    leading 


A  3,000  MtLE  JAUNT.  31 

spirit  of  the  four  adventurers,  after  a  whispered  con- 
sultation had  been  held  by  the  officers  for  a  few  min- 
utes, the  gist  of  which  was  to  decide  on  a  line  of 
questions  proper  to  ask  regarding  the  people  they 
saw  and  the  country  they  passed  through,  but  most 
important  to  endeavor  to  learn  of  the  wealth  of  the 
people  and  of  the  gold  which  was  then  the  standard 
as  at  the  present  date. 

Mendoza:  "Don  Vaca,  (who  arose  and  saluted 
the  Governor),  we  are  profoundly  impressed  by  the 
recitations  of  the  wonderful  experiences  which  you 
gentlemen  inform  us  of.  Generations  unborn  will 
read  of  your  exploits  and  comprehend  the  metal  of 
our  countrymen.  But  there  are  some  questions 
which  Vv'e  would  like  to  have  you  answer,  e.  g..  How 
many  leagues  did  you  travel? 

De  Vaca:  ''Noble  Sir,  it  is  impossible  to  esti- 
mate the  distance  covered  from  the  place  where  we 
commenced  to  keep  a  due  west  course,  for  except  in 
crossing  the  range  of  mountains,  we  aimed  to  come 
guided  by  the  compass  exactly  west.  Of  course  that 
was  not  possible  Vvliile  in  the  mountain  chain,  as 
the  only  paths  lead  us  through  labyrinths,  which 
some  times  leads  to  all  points  of  the  compass,  but  I 
should  say  we  covered,  traveling  due  west,  300  leagues 
(about  1000  miles);  but  to  attempt  to  estimate  the  dis- 
tance walked  from  the  place  of  our  captivity  to  where 
we  commenced  to  come  west  would  be  futile,  for  we 
wandered  from  place  to  place.  A  conservative  estimate 
would  be  from  450  to  500  leagues  (about  1,500  miles), 
so  we  must  haVe  covered  eight  or  nine  Iiundrod 
leagues  (call  it  800,  or  about  3,000  miles.)" 


82  GOLD  AND  SILVER  STORIES. 

Mendoza:  *'How  did  you  subsist?" 
DeVaca:  "We  were  careful  to  prepare  before 
starting,  so  we  had  our  bows  and  about  twenty-five 
arrows  each,  the  finest  we  could  get,  and  we  aimed  to 
never  shoot  unless  to  procure  food  and  to.  save  our 
lives  and  the  shaft  never  left  the  string  unless  we 
were  pretty  certain  of  recovering  it  again,  so  we  lost 
very  few.  Thus  we  were  able  to  kill  ample  game  in 
most  places,  especially  on  the  buffalo  plains.  Then 
we  had  three  flints  and  steels  which  were  a  part  of 
those  we  had  when  captured.  Thus  we  were  able  to 
cook  our  game.  The  animals  were  not  afraid  of  us  as 
a  rule,  so  we  could  easily  get  within  range  of  them; 
thus  we  had  no  lack  of  meat;  but  except  when  we  could 
procure  some  maize  from  the  Indians,  v/e  had  nothing 
but  animal  flesh  to  appease  our  hunger  and  that 
caused  us  much  trouble,  for  it  became  nauseating 
and  made  us  ill.'' 

Mendoza:  **Now  tell  us  of  the  peoples  you  saw." 
De  Vaca:  *'It  is  a  marvelous  story.  We  saw 
many  tribes  of  Indians.  They  wore  precious  stones 
and  gold  and  silver  ornaments.  But  more  especially, 
some  of  the  natives  told  us  of  the  seven  cities  of  Ci- 
bola, which  were  rich  and  densely  populated,  the  peo- 
ple having  much  gold  and  silver.  We  were  north  of 
the  place  where  they  are  located.  We  did  not  see 
them  ourselves,  but  by  reason  of  our  acquaintance 
with  the  sign  language  of  the  natives,  and  some  of  the 
words  used  by  the  tribe  where  we  were  in  captivity 
being  understood,  it  convinces  me  of  the  truth  of  the 
statements." 

Mendoza:     "Did  you  meet  many  natives  in  your 


A  SPANISH   MEDICINE   MAIT.  L:> 

travels  and  how  did  they  treat  you?" 

De  Vaca:  *'Your  humble  servant  had  made  it  a 
point  to  acquire  the  mysteries  of  the  medicine  men 
of  our  tribe,  and,  in  fact,  had  been  initiated  into  their 
secrets,  so  it  was  very  easy  to  convince  the  tribes  we 
met  of  our  superiority  and  to  work  on  their  credulity 
by  reason  of  our  additional  experience  and  education. 
But  the  most  important  articles  which  brought  about 
courteous  treatment  was  my  medicine-man's  bag, 
bells,  and  other  toys,  which  some  of  the  ingenious 
men  of  our  party  had  made,  and  w^hich  puzzled  the 
natives  and  awed  them.  We  were  not  only  treated 
kindly  but  offered  every  inducement  to  remain  with 
many  of  the  tribes  which  we  visited." 

Mendoza:  ''It  has  already  como  to  my  notice 
that  you  were  in  a  pitiable  condition  v/hen  lL.it  di  - 
covered.  Will  you  tell  U3  how  you  r^ct  alon^  v/lthout 
clothing?" 

De  Vaca:  "As  you  are  awaro,  tli?  natives  go 
very  sparingly  clothed,  so  we  could  procure  none 
from  them,  and,  in  fact,  first  our  leggings  began  to 
ravel  out  thin  until  nothing  u  as  left  but  the  waist  by 
reason  of  going  through  tlie  timber,  grass,  and  wading 
streams,  till  at  last  we  got  into  the  same  costume  as 
the  Indians  tlicmselves;  but  remarkable  to  relate,  we 
•did  not  mind  that,  in  fact,  living  with  nature  seemed 
to  agree  with  us  if  we  had  only  some  vegetable  matter 
to  go  with  the  animal.  The  only  i)art  of  our  person 
affected  were  our  feet,  but  it  vras  very  easy  to  shoe 
ourselves  with  the  skin  of  a  fresh  killed  animal, 
which  when  fitted  to  the  feet  and  kept  in  place  by 
thongs,     upon      becoming    dry    were     soon    very 


34        BUFFALOES  AND  BUFFALOES. 

comfortable."  (Although  it  is  about  360  years  since 
the  Spanish  shoemaker  told  of  this  process  of  manu- 
facturing shoes,  yet  in  some  of  the  old  countries  of 
the  world  they  still  tan  the  leather  and  last  it  upon 
the  feet,  making  a  superior  glove-fitting  foot  gear.) 

Mendoza:  "And  now,  my  good  Don,  one  ques- 
tion more  and  most  important.  From  all  the  in- 
formation you  were  able  to  obtain,  do  you  think  it 
advisable  to  examine  further  into  these  seven  cities 
of  Cibola  which  you  were  told  of  by  the  natives?" 

De  Vaca:  ^'Assuredly,  for  it  seems  to  me  from 
the  accounts  given  it  equals  this  colony  when  con- 
quered by  your  predecessor,  (Cortes).  But,  Your 
Excellency,  there  is  one  matter  which  you  should 
hear  of.  We  traversed  many  leagues  of  country 
where  we  saw  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of 
animals  with  wool  like  large  sheep  or  cows,  (buffa- 
loes), but  have  a  big  hump  on  their  back  the  same  as 
a  camel.  They  are  a  brave  animal  and  ferocious  and 
make  excellent  meat.  We  subsisted  on  these  ani- 
mals and  the  deer  which  roam  near  them  for  many 
months." 

And  thus  ended  the  story. 

As  before  stated,  there  are  persons  who  have  in- 
vestigated the  country  traversed  by  these  four  men, 
it  being  claimed  that  they  must  have  come  as  far 
north  as  the  Arkansas  river.  Then  there  are  others 
who  take  the  position  that  that  would  be  too  far  north 
in  order  to  have  the  party  arrive  so  far  south  as 
the  Gulf  of  California.  It  seems  that  those  who  make 
this  assertion  forget  to  take  into  consideration  the 
rule  laid  down  by  navigators  and  geographers. 


DUE  WEST  GOES  SOUTH.  35 

Of  course,  the  use  of  the  *'spherograph,"  or 
great  circle  or  tangent  sailing,  was  not  invented  at 
the  date  of  our  story,  and,  more  than  that,  they  were 
soldiers,  not  sailors,  hence  knew  very  little  of  navi- 
gation or  the  use  of  the  compass  or  the  necessity  of 
making  allowances  for  the  world  being  round;  and  it 
would  seem  that  those  who  have  endeavored  to  dis- 
credit the  assertion  of  the  men  being  as  far  north  as 
the  Arkansas  river  overlook  this  rule  for  the  use  of 
the  compass. 

Spanish  translators  give  it  that  they  continued 
'Vest,''  ''west'';thuspremisingthat  they  skirted  along 
the  sout>^  bank  of  the  Arkansas  river  until  they 
reached  the  west  line  of  Kansas.  This  is  reasonable, 
for  at  this  i  r  it  it  deflects  north,  which  would  make 
them  in  38  aegrees  north  latitude,  and  the  head  of 
the  Gulf  of  California  is  in,  say,  31  degrees  north  lati- 
tude, or  seven  degrees  (486  miles)  south  of  the  Arkan- 
sas river.  The  west  line  of  Kansas  is  west  of  Wash- 
ington 27  degrees  and  the  head  of  the  Gulf  of  Califor- 
nia is  39  deerees  west  of  Washington,  or  twelve  de- 
grees f  re  m  th  3  west  line  of  Kansas  to  the  head  of  the 
Gulf  of  California,  (about  500  miles).  If  a  line  is 
drawn  on  the  map  from  the  point  where  the  Arkan- 
sas river  leaves  Kansas  it  would  be  found  that  the 
line  came  very  nearly  striking  San  Francisco,  which 
is  about  400  miles  north  of  the  Gulf  of  California;  and 
by  reason  of  the  curvature  of  the  earth  and  the  four 
men  keeping  directly  west  by  the  compass,  even 
if  they  had  no  needle  but  kept  toward  the  setting  sun 
it  would  direct  their  course  south  between  the  22nd 
day  of  June  and  the  22nd  day  of  December,  for,  as 


36  PECULIARITIES  OP   NAVIGATION. 

you  know,  the  sun  appears  to  be  going  south  from 
the  longest  day  to  the  shortest,  after  which  it  seems 
to  come  back  north.  To  convince  yourself:  some 
night  when  the  north  star  can  be  seen  take  a  piece  of 
string  and  suspend  from  the  ceiling,  then  go  back  a 
few  steps  and  make  a  mark  so  the  plumb  line  and 
your  mark  wiU  range  with  the  polar  star.  Nov/  take 
a  square  or  resort  to  the "  hypothenuse,  using  the  six, 
eight  and  ten  to  arrive  at  a  square,  then  the  right 
angle  of  .the  suspended  string  would  be  an  angle  of 
ninety  degrees,  or  the  same  as  a  carpenter's  square. 
Now  suppose  you  should  then  set  up  a  lot  of  stakes 
clear  around  the  world  to  range  with  your  square 
directly  west  from  your  plumb  line,  you  would  dis- 
cover that  in  1,000  miles  you  would  be  a  good  deal  fur- 
ther south  of  the  north  pole.  To  make  this  more  clear, 
if  you  have  sailed  or  should  in  the  future  sail  across 
the  Atlantic  from  Liverpool  to  New  York  you  will  dis- 
cover that  the  course  of  the  ship  is  kept  north  of  west 
by  several  points  notwithstanding  New  York  is  in 
latitude  forty  North,  and  Liverpool  fifty -three,  or 
thirteen  degrees  further  north,  or  900  miles.  One 
would  naturally  suppose  that  the  vessel  would  be 
steered  south  instead  of  ''nor'west,"  as  the  sailors  say. 
Before  leaving  the  presence  of  Mendoza,  we  must 
dispose  of  the  colored  man  Stephen,  who,  being  a 
slave  belonging  to  Dorantes,  the  viceroy  purchased 
him  so  he  could  act  as  a  guide  and  interpreter;  he 
being  so  weU  versed  in  the  sign  manual  of  the  Indians 
that  he  would  be  of  assistance  to  a  party  sent  to  dis- 
cover the  rich  cities  of  Cibola,  which  the  four  men 
heard  about  so  frequently  in  their  travels. 


THIRD, 

Pizarro  Pillaged  Peru, 
Princes  Provinces  Perdue. 
Pachacamae  Passado; 
Papistry  Passed  Parvenu. 

,.  Apology   and  Explanation. 

.  [The  above  four  lines  may  appear  senseless,  bui 
considerable  time  was  expended  in  going  over  the 
unabridged  dictionary .  to  procure  vv^ords  beginning 
with  "P"  to  make  a  doggerel.  The  first  line  explains 
itself;  the  second  means  that  princes  lost  provinces; 
''perdue,"  Webster  says,  means  lost.  The  next  wortk 
"Pachacamae"  was  the  name  of  the  Peruvians'  GoA 
and  Creator  of  the  Universe;  ''passado"  is  defined  as 
lost,  passed;  so  the  God  as  known  in  Peru  was  loart^ 
deposed,  set  aside.  "Parvenu,''  says  the  great  au- 
thority, is,  to  attain  to,  to  succeed,  to  rise  to  high  sta- 
tion; an  upstart,  one  newly  risen  into  notice.  Hence, 
the  fourth  line  signifies  that  Cathohcism  supersedes 
the  religion  of  the  Inca.] 

Skeptics  may  sneer  at  the  early  efforts  of  the- 
Church,  but  when  a  priest  left  Europe,  for  the  New. 
World  he  knew  his  lot  would  not  be  a  "bed  of  roses"; 
and  so  it  was  with  Father  Marcos  of  Nice.  He,  was 
a  Frenchman  belonging  to  the  Franciscan  Brother- 
hood "jJiij^aieJ,'*  vvlilcliiaoantatthedateof  our  story, 


38  A  FAITHFUL  DISCALED. 

'^barefooted/' otherwise  a  monk  who  must  go  without 
covering  for  the  feet.  The  original  Spanisli  account 
of  this  man  says  he  was  with  Pizarro  in  Peru,  had 
witnessed  the  death  of  Atahulpa,  the  conquered  king 
of  the  Incas,  and  had  walked  barefooted  from  there 
to  the  city  of  Mexico;  Just  contemplate  the  wonder- 
ful endurance  of  this  man!  Look  at  the  map  and 
learn  that  coming  from  Curzco,  the  then  Cvapital  of 
Peru,  which  would  now  be  located  in  Bolivia,  and 
remember  that  Peru  had  a  population  of  thirty 
million  when  she  fell  and  comprised  most  of  th^ 
continent  of  South  America.  It  was  1,000  miles  to  the 
equator;  so  from  there  to  the  capital  of  New  Spain  he 
walked  thirty-five  degrees  north  and  about  thirty 
degrees  west,  or  about  4,500  miles,  so  is  there  any 
wonder  that  he  was  honored?  This  seems  incredible 
and  hardly  reasonable,  bub  anyway  he  was  a  faithful 
"Discaled"  as  will  appear  by  his  travels  undertaken 
after  reaching  New  Spain. 

Like  Peter  the  Hermit,  also  a  Frenchman  who 
harangued  all  Europe  to  induce  the  Christians  to  go 
and  take  the  Holy  Land  from  the  Mohammedans  and 
succeeded  to  a  greater  extent  than  any  other  religious 
crusade;  Father  Marcos  was  just  as  devout  and  sin- 
cere in  the  cause  of  converting  the  Indians. 

Upon  arriving  in  the  capital  city  and  owing  to  the 
extraordinary  feat  of  Pizarro  Brothers  capturing  a 
nation  of  thirty  millions  with  a  handful  of  men,  this 
holy  father  was  extended  every  courtesy  by  the  pow- 
ers that  were,  for  it  must  be  remembered  that  the 
news  of  the  magnificent  outcome  had  hardly  circu- 
lated, hence  the  great  respect  shown  the  new  arrival. 


PRIEST   WALKED  4,500  MILES.  3  J 

He  was  not  like  the  king's  runners  we  read  of  in  tlie 
Good  Book  who  were  promised  great  rewards  for  the 
first  man  who  should  reach  another  ruler  with  the 
king's  message:  some  started  out  before  they  fully 
comprehended  what  their  message  was;  others  only 
half  understood;  but  one  of  the  messengers 
waited  to  comprehend  all  the  desires  and  wishes  of 
the  king,  and,  although  he  was  last,  yet  he  had  the 
message;  all  the  others  were  messengers  without  a 
message.  But  Father  Marcos  knew  what  he  was 
talking  about;  he  had  seen;  it  was  not  hearsay  evi- 
dence or  what  some  one  else  had  told  him. 

Now,  Father  Marcos  having  arrived  soon  after 
the  four  men  had  told  their  story  to  the  governor,  and 
being  very  desirous  of  making  new  religious  con- 
quests among  the  Indians  of  Cibola,  he  thinking  no 
doubt  that  the  same  thing  would  be  enacted  as  was 
done  in  Peru,  when  Mendoza  intimated  that  he  was 
rA,bout  to  send  out  a  reconnoitering  party  to  test  the 
truth  of  the  four  men's  statement  of  the  riches  of  the 
populous  cities  of  Cibola,  Father  Marcos  was  made 
principal  of  the  expedition,  he  being  given  the  negro 
Bteplien  as  guide  and  interpreter. 

It  would  make  you  smile  to  recite  how  the  col- 
ored man  fooled  the  natives.  He  in  some  way  became 
possessed  of  a  medicine  man's  outfit  and  played  upon 
the  credulity  of  the  natives,  but  it  was  a  case  of  **give 
an  inch  and  take  an  ell."  He  met  with  such  kind 
treatment  from  the  aborigines  that,  like  some  people 
of  the  present  period,  he  could  not  stand  prosi)erity. 
Bo  he  began  to  demand  at  every  village  ^privileges 
which  were  vicious  and  wrong;  so  at  last  when  the 


40  A  NEGRO  MEDICINE  MAN. 

good  father  was  not  with  him,  he  got  himself  killed, 
but  not  before  lie  had  obeyed  the  commands  of  the 
reverend  father  who  was  following  his  steps,  but  at  a 
distance,  while  trying  to  teach  the  natives  to  follow 
"In  His  Steps." 

The  account  written  contem^poraneously  with  the 
event  says: 

*'The  negro,  Estevan,  had  been  ordered  by  the 
viceroy  to  obey  Friar  Marcos  in  everything  under 
pain  of  serious  punishment.  While  the  friar  was 
waiting-  at  Vacapa  he  sent  the  negro  towards  the 
north  instructing  him  to  proceed  fifty  or  sixty 
leagues  (175  or  200  miles),  and  see  if  he  could  find 
anything  that  might  help  them  in  their  search.  If  he 
found  any  signs  of  a  rich  and  populous  country,  it 
was  agreed  that  he  was  not  to  advance  further  but 
should  return  to  meet  the  friar  or  else  wait  where  he 
heard  the  good  news,  sending  some  Indian  mes- 
sengers back  to  the  friar  with  a  white  cross  the 
size  of  the  palm  of  the  hand.  If  the  news  was  very 
promising  the  cross  was  to  be  twice  the  size,  and  if 
the  country  about  which  he  heard  promised  to  be 
larger  and  better  than  New  Spain,  a  cross  still  larger 
than  this  was  to  be  sent  back. 

**The  Negro  met  with  such  favorable  accounts  of 
the  large  cities  that  he  sent  back  a  cross  as  tall  as  a 
man  and  the  Indian  whom  he  entrusted  to  convey  the 
code  message  was  instructed  to  narrate  to  the  holy 
father  regarding  the  populous  cities  of  Cibola.  This 
Indian  told  Father  Marcos  that  the  houses  were  of 
*stone  and  lime,'  with  'flat'  roofs;  some  *four  stories 
high,  all  united  under  one  Ijord':  the  people  wore 


THE  NEGRO  MEDiaNE   MAN    KILLED. 


/  1 


clothes,  had  precious  stones,  etc.  These  aec:).}rii.". 
were  further  verified  by  other  Indians,  and,  laorv^ 
particularly,  the  negro  forwarded  a  second  cross  as 
high  as  a  man,  which  denoted  everything  desirable. 
The  friar  in  following  the  colored  pathfinder  discov- 
ered erected  along  the  road  several  large  crosses 
which  were  emblems  of  success,  both  spiritual  and 
material.  As  the  holy  man  got  nearer  to  the  seven 
cities,  the  accounts  given  him  were  still  more  wonder- 
f  a],  and  a  native  of  Cibola  assured  him  of  the  truth  of 
all  ho  heard.  But  when  Father  Marcos  readied  a 
point  in  Apache  county,  Arizona,  he  for  the  first  time 
learned  of  Stephen's  death.  It  w^as  conveyed  to  him 
by  a  young  man  who  had  been  with  the  negro.  He 
wTtS  the  son  of  an  Indian  chief  who  told  how  anxious 
the  Negro  had  been  to  be  the  first  to  reach  one  of  the 
seven"* cities;  how  he  forwarded  the  friendly  Indians 
oJiead  with  notice  of  his  approach  to  the  chief  of  the  - 
place  and  in  token  of  his  position  and  authority  sent 
a  gourd  to  which  was  attached  a  few  strings  of  rattles 
and  two  plumes,  one  of  which  was  white  and  the 
other  red.''  The  old  chronicler  revealed  the- fact 
that  these  baubles  were  medicine  men's  talismen 
and  the  Blackamore  had  learned  their  importance 
from  De  Vaca,  but  it  did  not  awe  the  inhabitants  to 
such  an  extent  as  usual,  for,  when  presented  to  the 
chief  of  the  Pueblo,  he  threw  it  on  the  ground  and 
told  the  messenger  bearing;  the  gourd,  rattles,  etc., 
to  inform  the  stranger  that  when  he  reached  the  city 
he  would  find  out  what  sort  of  men  lived  there,  and 
instead  of  being  permitted  to  enter  the  plajce,  he  and 
his  party  w;ould  all  be  put  to  death.   But  the  Barbary 


42  BLACK  MAN  REMINDERS. 

Moor  had  had  so  many  experiences  in  his  long  life 
with  the  other  three  that  he  was  undaunted,  so  he 
continued  on  until  the  first  city  of  Cibola  was  reached, 
but  instead  of  being  allowed  to  awe  the  officers  of  the 
city,  he,  himself,  was  arrested,  all  the  turquoises  and 
other  articles  which  he  had  extorted  from  the  Indians 
were  taken  from  him,  and  he  was  then  incarcerated 
with  his  Indian  guides  for  the  night  without  food. 
The  next  morning  Stephen  tried  to  escape,  but  he 
was  killed,  and  to  this  day  the  legends  of  that  coun- 
try commemorate   the  event,  and   particularly   b/ 
names  which  survive;  e.  g.,  in  the  northwest  corner 
of  Apache  county  ii  found  "Lana  Negro";  also  twen- 
ty-five miles  south  is  "La  Vaca,"  southwest  from  these 
are  the  '* Black  Hills,"  and  the  south  boundary  of  the 
country  is  the  "Black  river";  then  there  was  for- 
merly a  town  called  "Kiakima,"  or  "Black  Mexican," 
the  ruins  of  which  are  still  to  be  seen.     It  must  be 
remarked  that  although  the  above  names  were  on  one 
map  of  Ariwna,  yet  when  a  later  one  was  examined, 
no  such  names  could  be  found,  especially  the  first 
two,  which  are  the  most  important  ones.    For  the 
purpose  of  this  narrative  it  should  be  remembered 
that  althoM^th  the  Barbary  Negro  had  done  no  overt 
acts  In  tltis  fifst  city  of  Cibola,  yet  the  news  of  his 
conduct  hid  ft^one  before.     It  must  not  be  supposed 
that  in  those  days  there  were  not  messengers,  for  it 
is  frofjuenMy  recorded  that  Indian  runners  thought 
nothing  (»f  c<>vertfi^from-ef^hty  to  one  hundred  miled 
in  a  dny;  ^o  v.ord  had  preceded  the  negro,  telling  of 
his  nnhivcMMhirf  conduct,  and  this  people  could  not  ba 
l-.oodwhvkcd    by   his  "hocus    pocus"    scheme,   for, 


now   NEWS  FI.EW.  43 

aJthough  they  were  sim  worshippers,  their  conceptioi 
of  the  Great  Spirit  was  ennobling,  perhaps  more  sc 
than  such  a  creature  as  this  slave  was  the  preceptoi 
of  the  Christian  Religion. 

When  the  news  reached  the  good  father  that  his 
guide  was  no  more,  he  realized  the  uselessness  of  his 
attempting  toproceed  farther,  altlioiigh  he  himself  had 
been  treated  by  the  Indians  with  the  greatest  of 
consideration  and  he  had  i)rocured  as  presents  many 
valuable  articles.  Among  the  number  were  beautiful 
robes  tanned  so  perfectly  that  the  curriers  of  France 
could  not  excel  the  natives  in  the  art.  These  robes 
were  principally  made  from  the  skins  of  the  buffalo, 
and  the  friar  learned  that  they  come  from  a  far  east- 
ern country  where  the  people  painted  themselves.  It 
seemed  the  farther  east  he  got,  the  more  corroborat- 
ing cumulative  evidence  did  he  procure  as  to  the 
truth  of  the  existence  of  the  seven  cities  of  Cibola; 
therefore  he  felt  justified  in  returning  and  reporting 
to  Mendoza  that  there  was  a  country  worthy  of 
conquest,  so  to  the  capital  city  of  Mexico  he  returned 
that  he  might  deliver  his  report  in  person  to  the 
Viceroy. 

Is  it  to  be  wondered  hovv^  Ihc  nevrs  fjev/,  not  only 
through  New  Spain  but  across  the  Atlantic  to  the  Old 
Country?  For  here  wa.s  a  raan  \\liose  sacred  office 
would  not  premit  him  to  tell  a  falsehood,  substantiat- 
ing the  remarkabJ-3  experiences  of  DeVaca  and  his 
three  companions.  In  fact,  an  account  of  the  wander- 
ings of  the  four  had  been  recited  to  the  King  of  Cpain 
In  person  by  DeVaca  who  got  back  to  Spain  about 
1538;  and  in  aU  probability,  Maldonado  and  Dorantes 


44 


CORONABO  APPOINTED  A  GOVERNOR. 


also  tolil  of  their  exploits  to  the  people  of  Spain,  for 
it  is  recorded  that  they  left  New  Spain  for  home,  and 
again  Mendoza  had  kept  His  Majesty  informed  of  a 
possibility  of  there  being  another  Montecuzhoma  to 
detiirone,  aind  about  this  time  Coionado  was  appointed 
governor '(^f  New  Galacia,  which  comprised  a  lar^^e 
"  -^rntor J  co  the  north  of  Mexico. 


fX)URTH. 

Superfine  Equine. 

Of  all  the  aaimals  which  you  admire, 
Is  not  a  horse  superior  and  higher; 
Even  the  one  that's  not  a  flyer, 
Regardless  of  breed,  dam  or  sire? 

The  thoroughbred's  forte  is  racing, 
The  standard  bred  horse  its  pacing, 
The  draft's  performing  work  facing, 
The  whole  being  used  for  chaising. 

'E  MUST  now  take  you  from  the  new 
to  the  old.  The  term  *  old"  might  be 
used  derisively  now,  but  in  the  year 
1539  Old  Spain  was  **it,"  being  one  of 
the  most  powerful  nations  of  Europe,  if  not  the  fore- 
most. Heretofore  a  youth  has  been  introduced  to 
you,  at  the  time  when  Coronado  was  preparing  hia 
retinue  in  Salamanca  preparatory  to  embarking  with 
Mendoza  for  New  Spain.  The  young  man's  father's 
conception  of  a  man  was  put  to  paper,  as  well  as  his 
mother's  admonitions  and  definition  of  a  gentleman. 
This  young  Spaniard  will  be  your  hero.  He  has  now 
reached  his  majority  and  must  seek  renown  and  for- 
tune, but,  poor  boy,  as  many  a  fellow  who  has  gono 
before  has  done,  he  has  fallen  in  love  with  a  "Moorish 
woman,"  so  designated  by  his  austere  pater  (father). 


46  **HER," 

The  manner  in  which  the  ladj'  is  referred  to  co'iv-y^ 
the  estimate  in  which  she  was  held  by  the  heu  1  ol  the 
family,  and,  although  the  younj?  man's  mother  loved 
her  only  child  with  a  devotioa  only  possible  to  a 
mother,  yet  even  she  is  willing  for  her  boy  to  join  an 
expedition  to  New  Spain  rather  than  have  him  marry 
a  despicable  Moor. 

Strange  how  narrow  minded  people  are!  This  is 
an  example.  It  must  first  be  noted  th:.it  in  the 
fifteenth  century  there  was  located  in  Saltiinajica  a 
celebrated  college  for  Irish  students.  Hero  the 
wealthy  Irish  youth  went  to  complete  their  cduc;i^.ion, 
more  particularly  if  they  were  to  lead  an  ocelesiast- 
ical  hfe.  This  Irish  institution  still  llourislios.  To 
this  school  came  the  grandfather  of  our  hero,  and 
while  attending  the  University  formed  an  attachment 
for  a  Spanish  maid  who  afterwards  b3cainehis  wife. 
The  father  of  our  hero  forgot  that  his  father  was  an 
Irishman,  for  had  he  been  liberal  minded  he  would 
have  considered  this  when  he  so  strenuously  objected 
to  his  son  going  outside  his  own  race  to  i^rocure  a 
mate.  Had  the  father  of  Alonso  stopped  for  a  few 
moments  to  commune  with  himself  he  would  have 
had  to  admit  that  by  the  natural  law  his  name  should 
have  been  Fergis  Geraldines,  an  old  Irish  name; 
but  when  his  father  proposed  to  Alonso 's  grandmother, 
her  proud  Spanish  parents  insisted  that  Mr. 
Geraldines  must  take  the  family  name,  for  their 
daughter  could  not  possibly  have  such  an  uncouth 
surname,  and  so  by  law  he  had  his  name  changed  from 
that  of  an  Irishman  to  on<^  becoming  an  aristrocratic 
Spaniard. 


OUK  HERO'S  RESTLESSNESS.  i'{ 

The  Christian  name  of  our  young  lover  and  hero- 
to-be  is  Alonso,  surname  Perez,  his  name  being  in- 
scribed upon  the  rolls  of  honor  in  the  archives  of 
Spain  as  one  of  the  men  who  explored  the  provinces 
of  Cibola  in  New  Spain,  and  Quiver  a,  now  Kansas. 
The  only  tarnish  or  cloud  recorded  by  the  old  chron- 
iclers against  his  character  is:  *'He  was  sent  to  the 
war  by  his  father  on  account  of  his  ' 'Restlessness." 

Oh  Youth,  how  long  will  you  have  to  contend 
with  this  aspersion,  that  you  are  restless  and  full  of 
energy,  and  vim,  also  a  longing  for  adventure?  Ye 
Grods,  would  you  have  the  finest  work  of  God 
emulate  Saint  Anthony,  whom  the  bard  of  the  River 
Avon  (Shakespeare)  represents  as  resisting  the  bland- 
ishments of  a  woman.  Or  is  the  chastity  of  the  youth 
Adonis,  as  depicted  in  Shakespeare's  poem  "Venus 
and  Adonis,"  to  be  the  standard  of  conduct? 

Qur  Alonso  is  not  an  Adonis,  but  from  the  age  of 
sixteen  he  had  known  this  Moorish  damsel,  and  she 
by  her  demeanor  had  taught  him  everything  that  was 
noble  and  pure,  notwithstanding  his  acquaintance 
with  her  had  been  interdicted  by  his  parents  when 
it  was  discovered  there  was  an  attachment.  But  all 
the  angels  in  Heaven,  or  the  \m\}%  of  his  Satanic 
Majestic,  could  not  stay  the  stream  of  affection  and 
love  which  flowed  from  the  young  people's  soul.-j  for 
each  olh-ej\  Father,  mother,  relatives,  friends  aitd 
chui-cb,  all  ei/deavdring  to  dissuade  this  young  follow 
to  a.Mudoci  tlxafc  Qite  who  wjis  his  ideal  womeu  as 
well  as  the  idol  he  wori;hii>pedl 

Thi,**  maguiiiied  specimen  of  womenhood  had 
duins;  the  yeara  of  their  associations  toil  him  of  the 


48  iDEA-L  vro:.iAiTi:oo^\ 

great  aims  in  life;  the  saint'^  lliaivv^eivos  conld  not 
have  conceived  precepts  grander  or  wiucnv/ould  tend 
more  towards  building  character.  She  conversed 
upon  such  themes  us  only  a  re^hied  and  educ?oted 
woman  could.  She  by  acts,  as  ^vell  as  by  words,  in- 
cessantly strove  to  inculcate  into  the  character  of 
her  knight  and  lover  such  thoughts  and  desires  as 
would  make  of  him  all  that  which  he  had  been  lec- 
tured to  be,  i.  e.,  a  man  and  geitti^eman. 

Had  the  Catholic  parents  stopped  to  contemplate 
and  ask  themselves,  ''What  is  the  diiference  be- 
tween a  good  Catholic  and  a  Mohammedan?"  what 
would  they  have  found?  Allah,  or  God  of  the  Moors, 
was  a  single  deity.  Their  God  was  the  same  Jehovah 
that  watched  over  the  Jews.  Our  good  Catholic's 
God  is  composed  of  three.  Father,  Son,  and  Holy 
Ghost,  and  they  would  assert  that  it  took  these  three 
to  constitute  the  one  almighty,  (note  the  final  one). 
So  the  Christian's  God,  like  that  of  the  Saracens  and 
Moors,  finally  reached  the  same  number,  one.  ^Vhat 
kind  of  a  syllogism  would  it  make  to  say  that  there  is 
but  one  God  and  then  in  the  next  breath  proclaim 
that  it  took  three  persons  to  make  this  one  power? 
The  major  and  minor  premises  would  bring  about  a 
peculiar  conclusion.  There  is  a  saying  with  men  of  a 
certain  profession  about  like  this:  "None  but  God  can 
create  a  soul,"  (which  is  the  major  premise),  **and 
none  but  a  kiui^  can  create  a  Corporation,"  (which  is 
the  minor  premise);  "therefore  a  corporation  has  no 
soul,**  (the  last  being  the  conclusion).  Just  try  and 
arrange'  the  three  'God-heads  to  make  a  syllogis- 
tic proi'Vo'sitloiVl  *  l3ut 'the  (♦ujitenlion  'would  sincerely 


GOME  OF   THE   WORLD'S  HEROES.  40 

be  asserted  that  it  took  three  distinct  comporxent 
parts  to  make  the  air  we  breathe,  viz:  nitrogen,  oxy- 
gen, and  carbonic  acid.  Again,  there  are  three  prere- 
quisites to  life,  viz:  air,  food,  and  water.  All  humans 
and  animals  must  have  all  three  to  continue  to  live,  so 
it  takes  three  to  make  a  man  or  a  horse,  and  any  one 
of  the  three  things  must  be  forthcoming,  otherwise 
the  man  or  animal  must  soon  cease  to  have  life,  which 
is  one  of  the  attributes  of  God.  Therefore,  we  must 
not  make  light  of  the  Trinity,  which  teaches  that  three 
Gods  are  necessary  to  make  the  one  Great  Creator. 

But  to  return  to  our  Mohammedan  lady  and  her 
people.  For  bravery  their  Kahled  will  more  than 
compare  with  the  English  Richard  Cour  de  Lion,  or 
Don  Rodrigeo  (Cid),  the  Spaniard,  or  Bayard  of 
Prance,  or  Wallace  of  Scotland,  or  Alfred  of  England, 
or  any  other  knight  known  in  history;  and  for  the  re- 
nown of  its  soldiery  just  read  the  life  of  Mahomet 
and  see  how  their  army  of  ten  thousand  would  defeat 
five  times  that  number;  and  when  it  comes  to  magna- 
nimity towards  those  subdued  they  were  far  more 
humane  than  the  Christian  denominations.  Take  the 
country  we  are  writing  of  and  its  iniquitous 
Inquisition  as  a  witness. 

When  the  Moors  overran  Spain  they  permitted 
the  people  to  continue  their  Christian  religion,  and 
when  it  comes  to  civilization,  the  Mussulman  luas  done 
^s  much,  if  not  more,  to  bring  the.  minds  of  men  out 
of  darkness  than  any  other  sect;  and  consid^i:  the 
beauMful buildings  erected  by  them;  they  surpass  all, 
r^»rdle«s  of  nationality  or  creed.  For  an  ocular 
iemonatration  of  the  breadth  of  culture  and  height 


50  A  woman's  influence. 

>/f  civilizavi'on  reached  by  the  followers  of  him  who 
nade  the  Koran  possible,  all  one  has  to  do  is  to  view  the 
3xtraordinary,  marvelous  building  erected  about  the 
iate  of  this  story  at  Agra,  India.  All  who  have 
jeen  the  structure  declare  Taj  Mahal  to  be  the  most 
Deautif  ul  building  they  ever  saw.  It  took  twenty-two 
/ears  to  erect,  costing  millions  of  dollars;  and,  mind 
/ou,  it  was  built  by  a  husband  for  the  last  resting 
)lace  of  his  beloved  queen,  Moomtaza  Zumanee. 

But  let  us  endeavor  to  read  the  mind  of  Alonso 
ind  apply  psychology  practically.  He  knows  the 
Dreadth  of  her  mind.  He  is  cognizant  how  much 
more  considerate  she  is  of  others  than  his  own  peo- 
ple are;  all  of  which  makes  him  reach  a  height  of  ration- 
ihsm  rarely  known  in  those  dark  days  following  the 
Inquisition.  So  he  resolves  to  appear  to  accede  to 
jhe  demands  of  the  Church,  his  parents  and  friends, 
'3ut  he  and  she  pledge  each  to  the  other  for  ever  and 
3ver;  it  being  agreed  that  he  shall  go  to  the  New 
World  and  carve  out  a  reputation  and  fortune  for 
himself,  and  when  the  time  comes  she  is  to  follow. 
vVere  it  possible  to  see  what  was  inscribed  upon  his 
'>rain  plate,  it  would  disclose  the  resolve  to  be  true 
uid  faitli^ir)  to  her,  not  only  in  thought  but  in  acts. 

At  the  date  when  Alonso  was  preparing  to  em- 
bark upon  the  enterprise  to  New  Spain,  the  magnif- 
icent, yea  wonderful,  conquest  of  Mexico  by  Cortes 
had  been  reported  evea  among  the  ignorant  peasantry, 
and  every  youth  of  noble  biri-n  was  wild  to  become 
the  peer  oX  the  great  conqueror,  and  so  it  was  with 
oor  hero. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  AJonso's  father 


AN  ARAB'S  SECRET.  51 

was  a  wealthy  aristocrat,  able  and  willing  to  equip  his 
only  boy  sumptuously;  therefore,  since  the  young 
fellow's  eighteenth  birthday ,  he  has  had  his  own  horse, 
which  is  now  five  years  old,  and  it  has  been  trained 
since  it  was  a  two-year-old  to  obey  the  commands  of  its 
master.  Only  those  who  have  been  intimately  asso- 
ciated with  horses  can  possibly  comprehend  the  ex- 
tent of  the  thinking  faculties  of  a  well  bred  horse. 
He  can  be  taught  to  do  so  many  wonderful  things 
that  it  is  useless  to  try  to  enumerate  them.  Except  the 
advice  of  a  noted  chief  of  the  Moors,  whom  Aloaso 
met  at  her  father's  and  to  whom  was  imparted  the 
fact  of  the  acquisition  of  his  two-year-old;  Alonso  hav- 
ing been  presented  with  the  same  about  that  time  by 
his  father.  The  famous  Arab  was  the  highest  au- 
thority on  horses,  so,  having  a  love  for  the  boy  on  her 
account,  told  the  young  fellow  a  secret  which  was 
imparted  to  none  except  his  own  immediate  relatives. 
The  secret  was  that  the  two-year-old  should  be  con- 
verted into  a  gelding,  giving  the  reason  that  it  would 
make  the  animal  so  much  more  tractible,  and  of  greater 
endurance  as  well  as  give  it  more  sagacity.  And 
Alonso,  like  a  broad  minded  youth,  took  the  advice 
which  turned  to  his  benefit  in  future  years.  Alonso, 
bein.^  in  training  for  a  knight,  commenced  while  young 
to  train  his  steed  so  that  when  the  time  arrived  that 
he  w?,r,  to  fight  the  enemies  of  his  country,  and  espe- 
cially the  Moors,  his  charger  would  serve  him  faith- 
fully and  efCectively;  therefore,  this  perfect  specimen 
of  the  equine  family,  now  five  years  old,  was  christ- 
ened v/hen  a  colt  with  a  name  famous  in  times  of 
yore,  for  it  was  the  celebrated  Gid's  horse,  Babieca. 


52  A  gl:i.ding. 

To  e^ive  a  ctescriplion  of  this  animal  so  as  to  meet 
the  views  of  the  average  admirer  of  a  horse,  would  be 
a  useless  task,  as  some  horsemen  admire  a  cream- 
colored,  glass-eyed,  Arabian-nosed  animal;  others  a 
buckskin,  believing  that  that  color  denotes  as*  * 'tough 
as  buckskin";  then  again,  a  sorrel  is  the  ideal;  with 
others  a  black;  some  like  a  piebald  or  grey;  but  our 
young  hero  had  selected  a  dark  dappled  bay  with 
black  points,  i.  e.,  black  mane  and  tail  and  black  legs, 
which  at  the  advice  of  the  Moorish  chief  had  been 
converted  into  a  gelding.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind 
that  at  the  time  we  are  writing,  horses  were  not  as 
lar^G  as  now,  and  so  eleven  hundred  pounds  in  those 
days  v/as  above  the  average;  but  even  now  that 
v^oight  horse,  if  not  too  heavy  set,  is  the  most  likely 
nag  to  stand  a  long  ride  and  keep  it  up  day  after  day. 
No  man  or  woman  has  any  conception  of  the  attach- 
ment, yea  love,  which  one  will  have  for  a  beautiful 
l^iece  of  horse-llesh,  except  those  who  have  been  in 
the  saddle  a  great  deal.  The  assertion  is  here  made 
that  to  back  a  spirited  horse  and  rMe  fast  is  the  most 
glorious  exercise  known  to  man.  Ask  any  man  or 
lady  wiio  has  liad  the  experience  and  ninety-nine  per 
cent  will  teli  you  of  the  peculiar  sensation  of  pleasure 
\vhich  will  thrill  a  horseman  or  horsewoman.  Of 
course,  shoukl  one  unaccustomed  to  riding,  attempt 
to  straddle  a  desirable  riding  horse,  he  would  feel 
like  a  man  in  deep  water  who  could  not  swim,  and 
even  persons  who  may  have  ridden  thousands  of 
miles,  yet  should  they  cease  for  a  few  years  to  ride, 
would  not  be  as  comfortable  on  a  horse  until 
t!K\v  liad  become  uj^ed  to  the  saddle.    This  theme  is 


OUR  HERO'S  EQUIPMENT.  &3 

'  <ttfe  that  Alonso  delighted  to  converse  upon  and,  with- 
otit  doubt,  is  one  upon  which  much  could  be  written. 

But  what  about  our  hero's  other  equipment?  His 
armor  was  in  those  days  even  before  his  good  horse 
and  by  reason  of  his  father's  influence,  being  close 
friends  of  many  military  men  who  had  been  to  New 
Spain,  and  from  information  obtained,  Alonso  con- 
cluded to  have  his  armor  made  especially  for  service 
in  the  New  World,  and  aU  through  the  adventures  in 
which  he  took  part  it  will  be  seen  what  a  great 
advantage  it  gave  him  over  his  comrades.  Tlie  men 
who  had  seen  service  in  New  Spain  knoAV  that  the 
natives  of  the  newly  found  country  had  no  knowledge 
of  fire-arms,  they  being  confined  to  the  use  of  spears, 
darts,  their  most  powerful  implem^ent  of  warfare 
being  the  bow  and  arrow;  but  their  arrows  were 
pointed  with  flint  and  whenever  they  struck  iron  they 
invariably  broke;  5>o  Alonso  had  his  suit  of  armor 
made  to  order  and  very  light  so  that  he  could  handle 
himself  more  Ciisily  tho.n  the  average  knight  could 
with  the  usual  Vvcight  of  harness  upon  his  body. 

Again,  the  good  reasoning  powers  of  our  young 
hero  caused  him  to  Iimv?  an  liarquobus  made  lighter 
than  the  average,  concluding  that  he  v;ould  be  able  to 
get  nearer  the  encuiy;  honco  it  would  bo  unnecessary 
for  him  to  have  so  cumbersome  a  gun  to  carry  as  oth- 
ers used.  This,  v;jth  tlio  reduction  in  weight  of  his 
armor,  gave  him  a  tremendous  advantage  over  the 
whole  of  the  arniy,  either  on  the.  march  or  in  battle. 

But  he  is  all  ready  to  start,  and  now  he  is  on 
board  of  a  vessel,  considered  a  large  one  in  those 
days.     It  had  one  hundred  people,  with  ten  horses, 


B4  OFF  FOR  NEW  SPAIN. 

with  feed  and  water  enough  for  the  voyage.  There 
was  only  an  upper  deck,  partly  covered.  Just  com- 
pare this  ship  with  one  now  plying  between  New 
York  and  Spain.  These  modern  vessels  think  nothing 
of  carrying  800  head  of  live  cattle,  COO  horses  and  1200 
dressed  beeves  in  refrigerators,  with  fresh  water 
and  feed  for  the  voyage  across  the  Atlantic,  as  well 
as  hundreds  of  people  as  passengers. 

It  is  a  very  easy  task  to  transport  our  hero  and 
his  company  across  the  water  on  paper,  but  in  those 
days  it  took  patience,  endurance,  and  pluck,  but  as 
tisual  the  last  named  landed  Alonso  at  Vera  Cruz  on 
the  coast  of  '^'ew  Spain  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  An 
examination  of  the  map  discloses  the  fact  that  this 
port  is  about  180  miles  from  Mexico,  the  then  capital 
of  New  Spain.  It  must  further  be  remembered  that 
this  port  of  Vera  Cruz  in  those  days  had  no  wall  for 
the  ship  to  come  along  side,  that  its  cargo  and  live  stock 
could  be  unloaded,  but  the  horses  and  men  were  com- 
pelled to  struggle  through  the  surf  as  best  they  could, 
and  here  our  hero  first  was  able  to  show  his 
superiority  over  his  fellows,  for  was  not  his  armor 
and  fire-arms  lighter?  and  did  he  not  have  a  horse 
which  he  had  trained  from  a  colt  to  swim  and  do 
many  useful  things  unusual  in  the  average  horse? 
Here  Alonso  showed  the  stuff  that  was  in  him,  and, 
although  he  had  enlisted  as  a  subaltern,  yet  the  offi- 
cers soon  marked  him  as  a  man  of  promise.  You 
naturally  ask,  what  did  he  do  to  attract  this  attention? 
Just  fancy  yourself  oh  a  vessel  of  the  kind  then 
anchored  off  shore  in  the  year  1539,  nearly  a  mile 
from    land.     Then  contemplate    tlie  scene  when  it 


A  TllAlNED  HOUSE.  55 

became  necessary  to  unload  the  ten  horses,  since  it  is 
at  least  eig-lit  feet  from  the  deck  of  the  ship  to  the 
surf.  And  just  consider  the  fuss  that  is  being:  made 
among  the  owners  of  the  horses  wondering  how  to  get , 
them  ashore,  when  without  any  talk  or  bluster  our. 
beautiful,  intelligent,  trained  creature,  who  has  been 
taught  to  obey  when  it  was  ordered  by  its  master, 
did  leap  down  into  the  sea  followed  by  his  trainer. 
Thus  soon  he  was  on  terra  firma,  hours  before  the  oth- 
er horses  were  swung  over  the  sides  with  block  and 
tackle.  Do  you  wonder  at  the  surprise  and  admira- 
tion of  those  viewing  the  scene  on  board?  -And  not 
only  the  docility  of  the  animal  attracted  attention 
but  also  the  practical  executive  ability  of  our  young 
soldier.  It  was  he  who  first  landed.  By  his  energy  the 
necessary  crafts  were  got  alongside  the  ship  to  bring 
the  horses  to  land,  and  then  his  tact  in  handling  the 
natives  who  manned  these  rude  affairs,  at  once 
stamped  him  as  a  leader  of  men,  and  from  that  day 
he  was  a  marked  man. 

Every  boy  or  girl  who  reads  this  and  who  is  de- 
sirous of  making  his  mark  in  the  world,  should  ever 
remember  that  the  world  admires  him  or  her, 
whether  young  or  old,  who  does.  The  dreamer  may 
have  the  best  thinking  machine  of  any  human  in  the 
universe,  but  unless  this  thought  sets  in  motion  the 
hands  and  legs  to  do  things,  it  availeth  naught,  and 
this  partly  innate  but  highly  cultivated  faculty  ol 
Alpnso  is  wh«fc^  made'  him  faia«u».  He  was  not  Ijwjr, 
but  ever  ready  to  assist,  no  matter  if  it  wa»  nothU 
duty.  Did  fow  ever  hear  **I  wo^'t^*  snappishly  ex- 
claimed by  soma  young  person  when  requested  to 


56  "l  WON'T,"    '*I  CAN'T.'^ 

■      .  ^ 

perform  some  act  which  he  or  she  did  not  consider 
his  duty?  Of  course  you  have.  Well,  should  this 
meet  the  eye  of  a  young  man  or  woman,  rij:»bt  here 
resolve  that  there  will  be  fewer  such  ejaculvitions  and, 
more  important,  less  **I  can't,"  but  more  '"1  'II  try." 

And  here  we  are  again  in  the  country  v^Llch  has 
only  been  under  Spanish  control  for  twenty  years, 
that  being  the  length  of  time  since  Cortes  entered 
Mexico. 

It  is  the  latter  part  of  the  summer,  ll.e  time 
when  the  new  arrivals  were  camped  after  their  te- 
dious voyage  across  the  Atlantic,  and  still  they  were 
oyer  180  miles  from  the  residence  of  the  governor. 


FIFTH. 

The  Spanish  knights  with  prancing  steed, 
In  Fifteen  Forty  made  a  sight  indeed; 
Their  flashing  armor  would  awe  a  queen, 
Each  being  ready  to  fight  hke  a  fiend. 


-]PON  ARRIVING  at  the  capital,  Alonzo  im- 
mediately presented  himself  to  Governor 
Mendoza.  Our  hero  brought  from  Spain  cre- 
^— ^  dentials  of  the  highest  order  and  his  gentle- 
manly demeanor  and  handsome  person  at  once  caused 
the  ''Good"  Mendoza  to  be  favorably  impressed,  and 
when  informed  that  the  sole  object  of  our  young  cava- 
lier's coming  to  the  new  country  was  to  join  the 
expedition  to  make  new  conquests  under  Coronado, 
as  well  as  to  make  a  fortune  for  himself,  he  was  given 
every  encouragement  and  promised  advancement  if 
satisfactory  to  General  Coronado. 

Alonso  informed  the  governor  that  he  desired 
to  learn  the  language  of  the  country,  and  would  like 
to  hire  a  native  servant  from  whom  he  could  acquire 
the  language,  as  well  as  to  attend  upon  him;  to  which 
the  governor  responded  by  informing  him  that  a 
youth  of  the  deposed  Moteculizoma  royal  family  had 


B8  MONTE  AND  ALONSO. 

spoken  to  him  about  going  with  the  new  expedition, 
and  that  he  thought,  in  all  probability,  the  young  man 
would  like  to  associate  himself  with  our  hero,  and 
promise  to  have  the  scion  of  royalty  come  to  his 
quarters. 

And  here  we  present  him  to  you  before 
introducing  him  to  senor  Perez.  He  was  born  in  the 
palace  of  Motecuhzoma  II.  only  a  few"  weeks  before 
Cortes  took  the  city  of  Mexico  the  second  time  in  1520, 
so  he  is  nineteen  years  old.  He  has  been  educated 
by  the  best  of  Spanish  teachers  and  speaks  that 
language  fluently,  as  well  as  his  native  tongue.  *  After 
the  death  of  his  father,  who  was  killed  by  a  stone, 
supposed  to  have  been  thrown  by  one  of  his  own 
people,  while  being  exhibited  as  a  prisoner  by  Cortes 
at  his  capital.  His  mother  retired  into  the  country 
and  was  premitted  by  Cortes  to  enjoy  considerable  of 
her  husband's  wealth,  so  our  young  native  had  been 
reared  iu  affl-uence,  and  since  1535,  when  Mendoza 
commenced  to  govern  the  country,  our  young  prince 
had  been  intimate  with  the  good  governor,  who  had 
taken  quite  an  interest  in  the  young  man's  welfare. 
So  it  is  no  ordinary  individual  who  is  seeking  an 
interview  and  subaltern  position  with  Alonso. 

And  now  our  two  young  men  meet  for  the  first 
time,  but  hereafter  to  become  close  and  intimate 
friends,  they  are  two  of  the  principal  participants  with 
the  expedition  in  which  they  are  to  take  part.  You 
will  learn  of  their  characters  as  the  story  proceeds, 
so  it  is  unnecessary  to  introduce  Monte,  except  to 
say  that  he  agreed  to  become  Alonso's  servant. 

Coronado   at  this   time  "V^as   governor  of  New 


EXPEDITION   ALL  KExVDY.  59 

Galacia,  this  was  a  province  to  the  north  of  JSlew 
Spain.  His  headquarters  being  at  Compostella, 
which  was  located  about  400  miles  northwest  of  the 
city  of  Mexico,  so  it  became  necessary  for  our  two 
young  men  to  travel  this  400  miles  before  they  could 
join  the  expedition.     This  they  did. 

The  location  of  Compostella  should  be  understood, 
so  you  may  have  the  proper  conception  of  the  dis- 
tance marched  by  our  Commander,  Coronado.  That 
city  does  not  appear  on  the  map  of  Mexico  now,  but 
if  you  will  find  San  Bias  on  the  Pacific  Coast  in  about 
21  1-2  north  latitude,  then  you  will  be  about  forty 
miles  north  of  where  our  expedition  started  from. 

Arriving  at  the  capital  of  New  Galacia,  Alonso  at 
once  sought  an  interview  with  Governor  Coronado 
and  presented  his  credentials  for  the  purpose  of 
procuring  a  place  in  the  expedition;  and  owing  to  the 
governor  being  a  native  of  Salamanca  and  having  seen 
Alonso  frequently  at  his  father's  home,  the 
commander  naturally  took  kindly  to  his  young  fellow 
townsman  and  assented  to  his  accompanying  the 
army  of  conquest  and  discovery,  appointing  him  a 
lieutenant. 

All  was  bustle  and  excitement  for  the  pre- 
parations were  about  completed,  and,  mind  you,  it 
was  no  small  affair.  Here  is  what  a  participant  in  the 
expedition  wrote  at  the  time. 

''It  was  a  splendid  array  as  it  passed  in  review 
before  Mendoza  and  Coronado  on  this  Sunday  in 
February,  1540.  The  young  cavaliers  curbed  the 
picked  horses  from  the  large  stock  farms  of  the 
Viceroy,  each  resplendant  in  long  blankets    flowing 


60  .  DON  CORONADO  STARTS. 

to  the  ground.  Each  rider  held  his  sword  and 
other  weapons  hung  in  their  proper  places  at  his  side. 
Some  were  arrayed  in  coats  of  mail,  polished  to  shine 
like  that  of  their  general,  whose  gilded  armor,  with 
its  brilliant  trappings,  was  to  bring  him  many  hard 
blows  a  few  months  later.  Others  wore  iron  helmets 
or  visored  head  pieces  of  the  tough  bull  hide,  for 
which  the  country  has  ever  been  famous.  The  foot- 
men carried  cross  bows  and  harquebuses,  while  some 
of  them  were  armed  with  sword  and  shield.  Looking 
on  at  these  white  men  with  their  weapons  of  Euro- 
pean warfare  was  the  crowd  of  native  allies,  armed 
with  the  club  and  bow  of  an  Indian  warrior. 

There  were  about  250  Spaniards  on  horseback, 
70  foot  soldiers,  and  over  300  warriors,  with  about 
1,000  friendly  Indians,  who  were  servants  and  had 
charge  of  the  baggage. ' ' 

As  to  baggage,  etc.,  let  us  again  quote  from 
the  old  Spaniards,  who  recorded  the  facts  at  the  time: 

"The  next  morning  after  the  review,  when  all 
was  off  in  duly  organized  companies,  with  their  ban- 
ners flying,  upwards  of  1,000  servants  and  followers, 
black  men  and  red  men,  went  with  them  leading  the 
spare  horses,  driving  the  pack  animals,  bearing  the 
extra  baggage  of  their  masters,  or  herding  the  large 
droves  of  big  and  little  cattle,  of  oxen  and  cows,  sheep 
and  swine,  which  had  been  collected  by  the  viceroy 
to  assure  fresh  food  for  the  army  on  its  march. 
There  were  more  than  1,000  horses  in  the  train  of  the 
force,  besides  the  mules  loaded  with  camp  supplies 
and  provisions,  and  carrying  half  a  dossen  pieces  of 
light  artillery,  the  pedreros  or  swivel  guns  of  the 
period." 


FULL.  OF  HOPE  AND  COURAGE.  Gl 

So  it  will  be  seen  that  the  expedition  when  it 
marched  out  of  Compostella  on  Monday,  February 
23,  1540,  consisted  of  over  1,600  people  and  1,000 
horses,  not  including  mules,  oxen,  cows,  etc.  There 
were  also  two  ships,  which  .were  loaded  with  siipphes, 
with  orders  to  keep  within  sight  of  land  and  sail 
north  in  the  Gulf  of  California;  which  they  did  until 
stopped  at  the  mouth  of  the  Colorado  River,  they  not 
knowing  of  the  Peninsula  of  Lower  California. 

It  was  not  only  by  their  bravery  that  the  army 
expected  to  conquer  the  new  found  countries,  but  by 
the  display  of  modern  things,  which  they  knew  would 
awe  the  natives  and  frequently  cause  the  invaders  to 
be  worshipped  as  gods,  as  was  done  in  Mexico  when 
Cortes  took  that  country  with  his  handful  of  men; 
yes,  and  they  fully  expected  to  find  the  seven  cities 
OP  aBOLA.  rich,  and  it  was  the  purpose  of  the  800 
Spaniards  to  take  possession  of  these  cities  and 
install  themselves  in  the  best  structures  and  take 
from  the  natives  their  lands,  stock,  in  fact,  whatever 
was  worth  while;  therefore,  it  was  with  hopes  sublime 
that  our  party  started  on  its  journey,  which  now  is 
known  to  be  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  feats  ever 
preformed  by  any  company  of  soldiers. 


SIXTH. 

Cor--o--na--do 
No"Bra--va-do 
He--first--to--do 
Col--o--ra--do. 


here. 


WOULD  very  much  assist 
your  ima«:ination  ii  Keining- 
ton's  picture  of  the  '*March  of 
Coronado"  could  be  inserted 
The  painter  brings  out  the 
cavaUers  very  prominent.  Their  ar- 
mor and  horse  trapping:s  are  vividly  portrayed  in  his 
work  of  art.  So  expressive  is  the  painting  that  there 
is  depicted  on  their  faces  the  Don  Quixote  expres- 
sion, and  no  doubt,  every  one  of  them  believed  that 
their  names  were  to  go  resounding  down  in  history; 
and  although  the  majority  of  them  are  prominent 
men  and  many  of  noble  lineage,  yet  they  are  fully 
cognizant  of  the  hardships  they  will  have  to  endure, 
but  they  do  not  shrink  from  the  ordeal.  This  will 
hold  good  particularly  with  our  young  hero  and  his 
servant  Monte,  who  have  become  close  friends,  each 
acting  toward  the  other  as  equals,  both  being  willing 
U>  risk  hia  life  lor  his  friend;  their  leeling  uoward 


LESSON  OF  CAUTION.  63 

each  other  xrr.s  the  DamoTi  UMd  Pythias  story  putintc 
every  day  practice;  they  were  brave  men,  strong  ae 
Samson  in  their  faith  in  each  other;  nnd  'during  their 
journey  of  400  miles  from  the  City  Oj!  Mexico  to  Com- 
postello  they  had  been  taught  the  lesson  of  **caution." 
These  two  men  had  the  advantaj^e  of  others,  I'ur  Alon- 
80  could  hold  his  own  from  a  Spanish  standpoint, 
whereas  Monte  knew^  the  ways  of  the  natives  and 
could  keep  his  master  apprised  of  affairs  among  the 
Indian^?.  who  predominated  in  numbers  over  four  to 
one.  Alonso  was  clean  mentally,  his  lady  was  always 
in  mind,  the  exalted  precepts  advanced  by  her  came 
constantly,  but  they  gave  him  strength  of  character; 
and  Monte  had  been  reared  by  a  mother,  who  had 
seen  her  country  stolen  by  a  few  bloodthirsty  men, 
her  husband  taken  from  her,  and  finally  killed,  her- 
self forced  to  live  in  retirement;  but  this  gave  her 
a  better  opportunity  to  watch  over  lier  youngest  son, 
V,  ho  had  profited  by  the  teaching  of  his  mother. 

Is  it  any  wonder  that  these  two  young  men  be- 
came attached?  They  were  about  the  same  age, 
twenty  and  twenty-two,  and  you  will  not  be  surprised 
to  learn  of  their  secretly  confiding  to  one  another 
their  love  affairs. 

Alonso  had  told  Monte  of  his  beautiful  Moor,  and 
Ixlonte  had  in  turn  confided  the  secret  of  his  choice. 
The  lofty  sentiments  of  both  made  them  better  men. 
In  fact,  these  two  boys  were  about  the  only  ones  in 
tiiL  ^r!Ilpany  who  could  be  classified  as  model  young 
men.  Alonso  would  not  partake  of  intoxicants,  as 
that  was  the  one  thing  her  religion  taught  as  be- 
ing an  abomination;  so  out  of  respect  for  her  he  has 


64  ALOIs^CO   THOUGHT   CF   HER. 

'abstained.  But  tlie  one  tliin^  which  draggled  the 
average  younf?  man  down  Avas  the  native  females. 
These  white  men  seemed  gods  to  them,  and  hke  the 
average  colored  wench,  they  were  flattered  by  the  at- 
tentions of  a  white  man.  This  v/as  a  trying  ordepd  for 
pure  young  men,  but  Alonso  thought  of  iifai  and  gov- 
erned himself.  Monte 's  mother's  apjjarition  ap- 
peared before  him  whenever  tempt/ition  came  in  his 
way.  Tlie  result  of  this  conduct  naturally  made  our 
hero  a  better  soldier,  and  Monte  a  superior  compan- 
ion; and  so  marked  was  the  contrast  in  their  aj^pear- 
ance  and  ever  readiness,  as  well  as  the  first  class 
mannner  in  which  their  outfit  was  kept,  w^hich  in- 
cluded the  care  of  Babieca  and  the  pack  mule  carry- 
ing their  articles  of  comfort,  that  even  Coronado  him- 
Belf  complimented  Lieutenant  Perez  for  his  elllci  ,^iicy 
and  close  application  to  his  duties. 

From  Cbmpostella  the  expedition  went  r early 
northwest.  The  historian  who  w^as  there  vv^'oie: 
**For  eighty  leagues,  (about  200  miles),  the  m  ireh 
was  along  the  much  used  roads  which  folio Vv'^kI  the 
;coast  up  to  Culiacan,''  which  city  still  reuuns  its 
name. 

The  historian  further  says:  * 'Everyone  Vva:^  c^^er 
'to  reach  the  wonderful  regions  which  w^ere  to  be 
their  destination,  but  it  was  impossible  to  malce  rapid 
progress.  The  cattle  could  not  be  hurried,  while  the 
baggage  animals  and  the  carriers  were  so  heavily 
, laden  with  equipments  and  provisions  that  it  waa 
necessary  to  allow  them  to  take  their  own  time.  S  *v- 
«mJ  were  lost  at  the  Centizpack  river,  across  wliich 
the  cattle  had  to  be  transported  one  at  a  time.    At 


INDIANS  EXPERT  BOWMEN.  t55 

•t . 

CJhiamotla  there  was  another  delay.  Here  the  army 
camped  at  the  remains  of  a  viliage  which  Nuno  de 
Gmzoiaa  had  established.  The  settlers  had  been 
driren  away  by  a  pestilence  caught  from  the  Indians 
and  by  the  fierce  onslaught  of  the  natives,  who  came 
down  upon  them  from  the  surrounding  mountaiDS." 

'riie  food  supply  of  Coronado's  force  was  begin- 
ning to  fail,  and  as  the  tribes  about  here  were  still  in 
rebeilion,  it  became  necessary  to  send  a  force  into 
the  mountains  to  obtain  x)rovisions;  the  army  master, 
Sam.aniego,  who  had  been  warden  of  one  of  the  royal 
fortresses,  commanding  the  fora^-ing  party.  The 
men  found  themselves  buried  in  the  thick  under- 
brush as  soon  as  they  passed  beyond  the  limits  of  the 
clearing.  One  of  the  soldiers,  inadvertently,  but 
none  the  less  in  disregard  of  strict  orders,  became 
separated  from  the  main  party,  and  the  Indians,  who 
were  nowhere  to  be  seen,  at  once  attacked  him.  In 
reply  to  his  cries  the  watchful  commander  hastened 
to  his  assistance.  The  Indians  who  had  tried  to  seize 
him  suddenly  disappearc-I.  Vvlien  evory thing  seemed 
to  be  safe,  Samaniego  raised  his  visor,  and  as  he  did 
so,  an  arrow  from  among  the  bushes  pierced  his  eye, 
passing  through  the  skull.  The  death  of  Samaniego 
was  a  severe  loss  to  the  expedition.  Bravo  Jiud  skill- 
ful, he  was  beloved  by  ail  who  vrere  wi'.h  iiim  or 
under  him.^* 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  Sierra  Mount- 
ains were  on  the  east,  thus  necessitating  the  party 
traTeling  east  until  a  pass  was  found,  which  was  near 
tiie  source  of  the  river  Sonera  or  near  Tuscan  in  Ari- 
which  now  the  railroads  use  in  crossing  the 


M  PEAGSRABUE  IKDIAKSu 

•aimtains.  From  this  point  they  tnrncu  northeaat 
toward  the  seven  rich  cities  of  Cibola.  Ttie  accounts 
of  the  trip  to  this  territory  say  that  it  was  a  wilder- 
ness that  had  to  be  traversed  before  reaching  the 
9oaL  This  wilderness,  so  designated,  would  be 
Hirongh  the  eastern  part  of  Arizona  and  southwest- 
em  New  Mexico. 

At  last  the  first  of  the  seven  cities  are  seen,  but 
not  until  they  had  this  experience:  General  Coronado 
wrote  to  Mendoza;  '*To  refresh  our  former  'Trauailee' 
(trials),  the  first  days  w^e  founde  no  grasse  but  worser 
way  of  mountains  and  badde  passages."  Another 
writer  remarks:  ''The  discouragement  of  the  men 
iBCreases  with  the  difficulties  of  the  way.  The  horses 
were  tired,  and  the  slow  progress  became  slower^ 
as  horses  and  Indian  carriers  fell  down  and  died. 
Corn  was  almost  gone,  and  as  a  result  of  eating  tbe 
fruits  and  herbs  which  they  found  along  the  way  a 
Spaniard  and  some  of  the  servants  were  poisoned  so 
badly  that  they  died.  The  skull  and  horns  of  a  great 
mountain  goat  filled  the  Europewis  with  wonder,  but 
this  was  hardly  a  sign  to  inspire  them  vrith  hopes  oC 
abundant  food  and  gold.  There  were  thirty  leagues 
of  this  traveling  before  the  party  reached  tba 
borders  of  the  inhabited  country  where  we  foond 
Iresh  grass  and  many  nutte  and  mullberrie  trees. 

The  day  following  that  on  which  they  left  the 
wildemess,  the  advan«ie  guard  was  met  in  a  peaceable 
mad^ker  by  four  Indians.  We  treated  them  most 
khidly,  gave  them  beads  and  clothing  abd  willed^  them 
to  return  unto  their  city  and  bid  they  stay  quiet  in 
their  houses  fearing  nothing.    The  General  assured 


RKSKRTE  YOUR  FORCE.  67 

them  that  they  need  have  no  anxiety,  because  we  had 
been  sent  by  His  Spanish  Majesty  to  defend  and 
aydethem.^' 

For  several  pages  you  have  been  given  th^  text 
of  the  latest  translations  but  notwithstanding  the 
sujffering  complained  of  while  going  through  the 
wilderness  to  reach  the  first  of  the  seven  cities,  yet 
by  reason  of  thesagacity  of  Monte,his  knowledge  of  the 
natives  and  part  of  their  language,  and  owing  to  the 
sober  judgment  of  Alonso,  these  two  managed  to 
keep  their  horse  and  mule  in  good  condition  and 
themselves  also  in  good  shape.  Alonso  has  been 
taught  by  his  fencing  master  to  always  let  his  adver- 
sary put  forth  his  very  best  at  first,  but  for  himaelf, 
to  have  in  reserve  his  best,  and  this  axiom  and 
truism  he  has  appUed  to  his  conduct  in  his  present 
surroundings.  He  has  schooled  himself  and  Molite 
to  do  their  duty,  but  to  keep  in  reser^re  a  stored  up 
force  to  be  used  when  others  were  losing  heart. 
Those  two  boys  could  plainly  see  that  the  time  would 
surely  come  when  it  would  be  absolutely  necessary 
to  rise  to  the  occasion,  ,and  they  were  both  prepared 
for  any  emergency. 

It  was  July  7th,  1540,  when  the  Spaniards 
reached  Cibola,  and  viewed  the  city.  Then  it  was  that 
they  discovered  that  the  glowing  accounts  of  the  coun- 
try as  told  by  Friar  Marcos  of  Nice  were  without 
foundation;  and,  to  use  the  language  of  a  man  present, 
**Such  were  the  curses  that  some  hurled  at  Friar 
Marcos,  that  I  pray  God  may  protect  him  from  them. '' 

This  town  was  located  in  Valencia  County, 
New  Mexico,   and   no    doubt,    in  the    Zuni  Indian 


^    68       THROUGH  VALENCTA  C50.,   NEW   MEXICX>. 

Reservation — the  authorities  say  near  Ojo  Caliente. 

The  United  States  Grovernment  has  expended  a 
large  sum  of  money  in  translating  from  the  Spanish 
everything  that  could  be  found  written  at  the  time  or 
Boon  afterwards,  and  Castenada's  account  of  the 
taking  of  the  city  of  Cibola  is  most  thrilling,  so  it  is 
here  quoted: 

•*'It  is  a  little  unattractive  village,  (Cibola),  looking 
as  if  it  had  been  crumpled  all  up  together.  There 
are  mansions  in  New  Spain  which  make  a  better 
appearance  at  a  distance.  It  is  a  village  of  about  200 
warriors,  is  three  and  four  stories  high,  with  the 
houses  small  and  having  only  a  few  rooms  and  with- 
out a  court-yard.  One  yard  serves  for  each  section. 
The  people  of  the  whole  district  have  collected  here, 
for  there  are  seven  villages  in  the  province,  and  some 
others  are  even  larger  and  stronger  than  Cibola. 
iThese  folks  waited  for  the  army,  drawn  up  in  front  of 
hhe  village.  When  they  refused  to  have  peace  on  the 
Terms  the  interpreters  extended  to  them,*  but  ap- 
"peared  defiant,  the  Santiago,  (battle-cry),  was  given 
and  they  were  at  once  put  to  flight.  The  Spaniards 
then  attacked  the  vHlage  which  was  taken  with  not  a 
little  difficulty  since  they  held  the  narrow  and 
crooked  entrance.  During  the  attack  they  knocked 
the  general  down  with  a  large  stone  and  would  have 
killed  him,  but  Don  Garcia  Lopez  de  Cardenas  and 
Hernando  de  Alverado,  who  threw  themselves  about 
him  and  drew  him  away,  received  the  blows  of  the 
stones  which  were  not  few,  but  the  first  fury  of  the 
Spaniards  could  not  be  resisted  and  in  less  than  an 
hour  they  entered  the  village  and  captured  it.    There 


INDIAN  NAliED  WHISKERS.  W 

liiey  discovered  food  which  was  the  thing  they  were 
most  in  ne^  of." 

It  irould  not  do  to  recite  the  fury  and  ba^  temper 
displayed  toward  the  Indians  ©f  the  first  of  the  seven 
cities,  which  turned  out  to  be  a  village  of  a  few  hun- 
dred population,  and  without  much  precious  metal. 
The  soldiers  were  mad  with  disapi)ointmen.;^,  aijd 
were  pronounced  in  their  condemnation  of  F^tiher 
Marcos,  who  had  conveyed  the  story  6f  tiie  seVcn 
rich  cities  of  Cibola,  and  who  was  with  the  expedition 
but  concluded  to  turn  back  at  this  i^oint  because  of 
the  abuse  heaped  upon  him. 

Owing  to  Coronado  having  been  hurt  during  the 
taking  of  the  first  city,  he  remained  there  quite  a* 
time,  but  Avas  not  idle,  for  he  sent  out  several' 
exploring  parties,  only  one  of  which  can  be  mentioned 
here.  While  encamped  at  Cibola,  an  Indian  chief 
attracted  attention  who  had  a  long  mustache,  and 
was  named  by  the  Spaniards  ** Whiskers,"  because 
Indians  did  not  then  nor  now,  allow  hair  to  jxrovy  on 
the  face,  but  pluck  as  it  grows.  The  account  ivom 
which  this  is  copied  recites: 

**He  was  a  tall,  well  built  young  fellow,,  with  a 
fine  figure.  He  told  the  general  that  they  had  come 
in  response  to  the  notice  which  had  been  given  to 
offer  themselves  as  their  friends.  They  brought  a 
present  of  tanned  hides  and  shields  and  head  j)iece3, 
which  were  very  gladly  received,  and  the  generiJ  gave 
them  some  glass  dishes  and  a  number  of  pearls  and 
little  bells,  which  they  prized  very  highly;  because 
these   were    things    they    had    never    seen.     They 


70  THE  ROCK  OF  ACOMA. 

described  some  animals,  which  from  a  picture  that 
one  of  them  had  painted  on  his  skin,  seemed  to  be 
cows,  although  from  the  hides,  this  did  not  seem 
possible,  because  the  hair  was  woolly  and  snarled  so 
that  we  could  not  tell  what  sort  of  skins  they  had. 
The  general  ordered  Hernado  de  Alverado  to  take 
twenty  companions  and  go  with  them,  and  gave  them 
a  commission  for  eighty  days,  after  which  he  should 
return  and  give  an  account  of  what  he  had  found. " 

Captain  Alvarado  started  on  this  journey  and  in 
five  days  reached  a  village,  which  was  on  a  rock  called 
"Acuco,"  having  a  population  of  about  200  men. 
These  men  were  robbers,  feared  by  the  whole  country 
round  about.  The  village  was  very  strong,  because 
it  was  up  on  a  rock  out  of  reach,  having  steep  sides  in 
every  dii*ection,  and  so  elevated  that  it  was  a  very  good 
musket  that  could  throw  a  ball  so  high.  There  was 
only  one  entrance,  by  a  stairway  built  by  hand,  which 
began  at  the  top  of  a  slope,  around  the  foot  of 
the  rock.  There  was  a  broad  stairway  of  about 
200  steps,  and  at  the  top  they  had  to  go  up  about 
three  times  the  height  of  a  man,  by  means  of  holes  in 
the  rocks  in  which  they  put  the  points  of  their  feet, 
holding  on  at  the  same  time  with  their  hands.  So  no 
army  could  possibly  be  strong  enough  to  capture  the 
village.  On  the  top  they  had  room  to  sow  and  store 
a  large  amount  of  corn,  and  cisterns  to  collect  snow 
and  water.  These  people  came  down  to  the  plain 
ready  to  fight  and  would  not  listen  to  any  arguments. 
They  drew  lines  on  the  ground  and  determined  to 
prevent  our  men  from  crossing  these,  but  when  they 
saw  that  they  would  have  to  fight  they  offered  to 


\t  mBEOfjajnjLO,  new  mexioo.  71 

!  peace  before  knj  harm  had  been  done.  Tbey 
'i  through  the  forms  of  making  pea^,  winch  is  to 
topck  the  horses  and  take  their  sweat  and  rub  them- 
Milvee  with  it,  and  to  make  crosses  with  the  fingers 
€f  the  hand.  But  to  make  the  most  secure  peace 
fhey  put  their  hands  across  each  other;  and  kept  this 
peace  inviolable.  Tlxey  made  a  present  of  a  large 
nui&ber  of  turkeys  with  very  big  wattles,  much 
bri^,  tanned  deer  skins,  pine  nutiB,  corn-meal  and 
corn." 

Itis  impregnable  village  or  fortress  was  and  is 
now  situated  about  five  days  march  east  of  Zuni,  so 
must  be  located  in  about  108  degrees  west  and  35 
south.  It  would  require  many  pages  to  convey  a 
proper  conception  of  this  wonderful  natural  strong- 
hold; however,  it  demonstrates  the  nature  of  society 
in  those  early  days.  In  1540  wheci^lthese  Jgii^ropeans 
first  visited  this  spot  the  conditions  of  Europe  were^ 
much  about  the  same:  e.  g.,  the  Feudal  System  stilt 
flourished,  the  Barons  stiU  had  their  castles,  mights 
was  still  right;  and  so  it  was  with  these  Indians  who* 
had -the  hardihood  to  climb  about  400  feet  up  a. 
perpendicular  rock  so  as  to  make  their  home  safe* 
from  others  who  were  much  stronger.  Talk  about 
a  portcuUis  and  draw-bridge  over  the  moat  of  the 
average  castle,  there  is  no  comparison  to  be  drawn, 
for  this  rock  of  Acoma  could  not  possibly  be  scaled 
by  any  other  than  a  native. 

But  our  expedition  must  hurry  as  it  has  quite  an 
expanse  of  territory  yet  to  go  over.  The  next  town 
visited  was  Tiguex,  now  known  as  Bernalillo,  a  lew 
miles  north  of  Albuquerque;  and  you  will  appreciaito 


72  ALONG  THE  PECOS  VALLEY.     , 

the  account  of  this  first  visit  in  the  language  cf  the 
old  chronicler: 

*'From  here,  (Acoma),  we  went  to  a  province 
called  Tiguex,  three  days  distance.  The  people  came 
out  peaceably,  seeing  that  Whiskers  was  with  us. 
These  men  are  feared  throughout  all  these  provinces. 
Alverado  sent  messengers  back  from  here  to  advise 
the  general  to  come  and  winter  in  this  country.  The 
general  was  not  a  little  relieved  to  hear  that  the 
country  was  growing  better.  Five  days  from  here 
we  came  to  Cicuye  or  Pecos,  the  last  of  the  walled 
cities  toward  the  east.  It  was  a  very  strong  village 
four  stories  high.  The  people  came  out  from  the 
village  with  signs  of  joy  to  welcome  Alvarado  and 
their  captain  brought  us  into  town  with  drums  and 
pipes,  something  like  flutes,  of  which  they  had  a 
great  many.  They  made  Wany  presents  of  cloth 
and  turquoises,  of  which  there  are  quantities  in  that 
region.  We  enjoyed  ourselves  here  for  several  days 
and  talked  with  an  Indian  slave,  a  native  of  the 
country  toward  Florida,  which  is  the  region  Don 
Fernando  de  Sota  discovered.  This  fellow  said  that 
there  were  large  settlements  in  the  further  part  of 
the  country,  so  Alvarado  took  him  to  guide  them  to 
the  cows;  but  he  told  us  of  many  and  such  great 
things  about  the  wealth  of  gold  and  silver  in  his 
country  that  he  did  not  care  about  looking  for  cows, 
but  returned  after  he  had  seen  some  few,  to  reporb 
the  rich  news  to  the  general.  We  called  this  Indian 
''Turlc*  because  he  looked  like  one."  This  town  of 
Acuye  is  located  about  forty  miles  southeast  of 
Santa  Fe  and  twenty  miles  southwest  of  Las  Vegas, 


THE  INDIAN    "tURK."  73 

and     shows    on    the    map    as     '*P^cos." 

From  here  Alvarado  returned  back  to  Berna- 
lillo, where  the  general  and  the  main  part  of  the  army 
were  now  encamped.  The  Indian,  ''Turk,"  was  taken 
along  so  as  to  tell  his  story  about  the  rich  country  of 
his  nativity.  ,  Up  to  this  time  the  expedition  had 
failed  to  discover  any  nation  rich  in  gold  and  silver, 
and  many  tales  had  promised  the  thing  for  which  men, 
then  as  now,  would  sell  their  very  souls,  which  are 
more  precious  than  the  fool  stuff;  so  is  there  any 
wonder  that  these  men  were  ready  and  willing  to  risk 
their  lives,  when  it  was  held  out  that  they  would  re- 
ceive gold  and  silver,  which  would  be  "Free  Silver" 
in  the  true  sense  of  the  word,  i.  e.,  free  to  them  if 
they  could  get  their  hands  upon  it;  and  they  cared 
not  whether  it  was  coined  free;  all  they  wanted  was 
the  opportunity  to  appropriate  it  to  their  own  use. 

Alverado  returned  to  Tiguex,  taking  with  him 
''Turk,"  so  that  he  could  recite  his  wonderful  story  of 
QuiviRA.  On  reaching  Tiguex  the  native  of  Quivira 
was  taken  into  the  presence  of  Coronado  and  his 
officers,  and  retold  his  story  of  the  great  cities  of  the 
province  of  Quivira,  of  the  the  immense  number  of 
"humped  cows,"  deer,  turkey  and  numerous  other 
game,  of  a  river  (Missouri),  two  leagues  wide,  in 
which  there  were  fishes  as  big  as  horses  and  large 
numbers  of  canoes  with  more  than  twenty  rowers  on 
a  side,  fitted  out  with  sails,  having  a  poop  under  awn- 
ings for  their  lords,  and  with  the  prow  adorneJ  by 
a  great  golden  eagle.  He  said  everyone  had  the 
ordinary  dishes  made  of  gold.  He  called  the  gold 
"Acochis,"  but  more  particularly  that  gold  and  silver 


74  THE   KANSAS  INDIAN   GUIDE. 

was  very  plentiful.  This  made  the  Spaniards  crazy 
with  the  desire  to  reach  the  goal  of  gold.  The  seven 
cities  of  Cibola  had  been  exploited  and  found  wanting, 
hence  became  eclipsed  by  the  promise  of  wealth  in 
this  promising  country,  Quivira.  So  all  was  ex- 
citement when  the  general  announced  his  intention 
of  personally  conducting  an  expedition  with  the 
whole  of  his  army  to  the  new  province  of  Quivira  and 
camp  was  struck  April  23rd,  1541.  Most  of  the  sol- 
diers still  had  visions  of  wealth  untold. 

The  army  was  guided  by  Turk,  a  Pawnee,  and 
another  Indian  named  by  the  Spaniards  ''Ysopete,'' 
who  was  a  Kansas  Indian,  having  been  captured  and 
brought  to  Bernalillo.  It  is  known  for  certain  that 
they  went  through  the  city  of  Pecos,  and  assuredly 
they  traversed  the  south  bank  of  the  Canadian  river 
in  Texas,  until  they  reached  a  point  east  of  the  town 
of  Mora  in  the  Indian  Territory.  The  river  was 
crossed  here,  and  inasmuch  as  the  Indian  guides 
had  lo«t  their  bearing  they  then  went  nearly  due 
north  «ntll  they  reached  Barber  County,  Kansas; 
from  whence  they  traveled  northeast  until  a  point 
was  reached  somewhere  near  Hutchinson,  or  about 
fifty  milea  northwest  of  Wichita. 


SEVENTH. 

America  was  discovered  in  Isabella's  reign; 
Spain  for  gain  conquests  did  maintain; 
Her  buccaneers  plied  the  Spanish  Main, 
Now  her  acquisitions  are  only  in  name; 
But  fame  without  gain  is  very  tame; 
Here's  to  Alfonso  XIII,  is  the  U.  S.  rcfraiu 


)(HAKESPEARE  flourished  and  wrote 
about  fifty  years  after  Coronado's  expedi- 
tion, and  the  clergy,  literary  people,  and 
those  of  the  highest  standard  of  morality 
now  quote  the  author  of  Hamlet,  Merchant 
of  Venice,  Venus  and  Adonis,  and  also  the  Pas- 
sionate Pilgrim  without  blushing.  The  literature 
of  the  sixteenth  century  was  not  what  it  is  in  the 
early  part  of  the  twentieth  century.  The  following 
was  written  at  the  time  and  by  those  who  were 
through  Kansas.  It  would  not  do  to  put  into  print 
some  of  the  unusual  incidents  recorded  by  the  men 
who  were  with  Coronado,  for  then  this  work  might  be 
rclused  by  the  Postal  authorities  as  being  obscene. 

It  would  require  too  much  space  to  recite  verba- 
tira  the  original,  but  in  order  that  the  reader  may 
have  some  conception  of  the  habits  and  morals  of  the 


76  INDIANS  LIKE  GIANTS. 

Indians  who  inhabitated  Arizona,  New  Mexico,  Cali- 
fornia, and  Kansas  we  herewith  produce  some  ex- 
tracts from  the  United  States  Government  records: 

It  was  on  the  Coast  of  California  where  the  fol- 
lowing incident  is  recorded.  ''After  going  150 
leagues  they  came  to  a  province  of  exceedingly  tall 
and  strong  men — like  giants.  They  are  naked  and 
Uve  in  large  straw  cabins  built  under  ground,  like 
smoke  houses,  with  only  the  straw  roof  above  ground. 
They  enter  these  at  one  end  and  come  out  at  the 
other.  More  than  a  hundred  persons,  old  and  young, 
sleep  in  one  cabin.  When  they  carry  anything  they 
place  it  upon  their  heads,  and  in  this  manner  they 
can  carry  a  load  of  three  or  four  hundred  pounds. 
Once  our  men  wished  to  fetch  a  log  for  the  fire 
and  six  men  were  unable  to  carry  it,  and  one 
of  these  Indians  is  reported  to  have  come  and 
raised  it  in  his  arms,  put  it  on  his  head  alone, 
and  carried  it  easily.  (In  a  note,  the  strength  of 
the  people  is  verified  by  Sir  Francis  Drake,  who 
visited  the  coasts  of  California.)  When  Don  Pedro 
de  Tovar  arrived  there  (Sonora),  he  found  that  the 
natives  had  killed  a  soldier  Vvith  a  poisoned  arrow, 
which  had  made  only  a  little  wound  in  one  hand. 
Several  soldiers  went  to  the  place  where  this  hap- 
pened to  see  about  it,  and  they  were  not  well  received. 
A  force  seized  the  chiefs  of  the  village,  but  after- 
wards they  were  exchanged  for  some  thread  and  cloth 
and  oilier  thiags  which  tiie  soldiers  needed.  Finding 
themselves  free,  they, renewed  the  war  and  made  an 
attack.  As  they  were  strong  and  had  poisoned 
arrows  they  killed  several  of  the  Spaniards  and 
wounded  others,  so  that  they  died  on  the  way  back. 


THE  QUERECHOS  OR  COMANCHE3.  77 

They  retired  toward  the  town,  and  if  thay  had  not 
•  had  Indian  allies  from  the  country  of  Hearts,  it  would 
'  have  gone  worse  with  them.  They  got  back  to  town, 
leaving  seventeen  soldiers  dead  from  poison.  They 
would  die  in  agony  from  only  a  small  wound,  the 
bodies  breaking  out  with  an  insupportable  pestilen- 
tial stink/' 

**After  ten  days  more  they  came  to  some  settle- 
ments of  people  who  lived  like  Arabs  and  who  are 
called  Querechos  in  that  region.  They  had  seen  the 
.  cows  for  two  days.  These  folks  live  in  tents  made  of 
the  tanned  skins  of  the  cows.  They  travel  around 
near  the  cows,  killing  them  for  food.  They  did  noth- 
ing unusual  when  they  saw  our  army,  except  to  come 
out  of  the  tents  to  look  at  us,  af  ber  which  they  came 
to  talk  to  the  advance  guard  and  asked  who  we  were. 
The  general  talked  with  them,  but  they  had  already 
talked  with  the  Turk,  who  was  with  the  advance 
guard;* they  agreed  with  what  he  had  said.  That 
they  were  intelligent  is  evident  from  the  fact  that 
although  they  conversed  by  means  of  signs  they 
made  themselves  understood  so  well  that  there  was 
no  need  of  an  interpreter.  They  said  that  there  was 
a  very  large  river  over  toward  wliere  the  sun  came 
from,  and  that  one  could  go  along  this  river  through 
an  inhabited  region  for  ninety  days  without  a  break 
from' settlement  to  settlement.  They  said  that  the 
first  of  these  settlements  was  called  Haxa,  and  that 
the  river  was  more  than  a  league  wide  and  that  there 
were  many  canoes  upon  it.  Tliese  folks  started  off 
from  here  next  day  with  a  lot  of  dogs  which  dragged 
their  possessions.    For  two  days,  during  which  th 


78  YSOPETB  THE  KAKSAN. 

army  marched  in  the  same  direction  as  that  in  which 
they  had  come  from  the  settlements — that  is,  between 
the  north  and  east,  but  more  toward  the  north, — 
they  saw  other  roaming  Querechos  and  such  great 
numbers  of  cows  that  it  already  seemed  something 
incredible.  These  people  gave  a  great  deal  of  infor- 
mation about  settlements,  all  toward  the  east  from 
where  we  were.  Here  Don  Garcia  broke  his  arm  and 
a  Spaniard  got  lost  who  went  off  hunting  so  far  that 
he  was  unable  to  return  to  camp,  because  the  country 
is  very  level.  The  Turk  said  it  was  one  or  two  days 
to  Haya  (Haxa).  The  general  sent  Captain  Diego 
LfOpez  with  ten  companions  lightly  equipi>ed  and  a 
guide  to  go  out  at  full  speed  toward  the  sunrise  for 
two  days  and  discover  Haxa,  and  then  return  to  meet 
the  army,  which  set  out  in  the  same  direction  next 
day.  They  came  across  so  many  animals  that  those 
who  were  on  the  advance  guard  killed  a  large  number 
of  bulls.  As  these  fled  they  trampled  one  another  in 
their  haste  until  they  came  to  a  ravine.  So  many  of 
the  animals  fell  into  this  that  they  filled  it  up  and  the 
rest  went  across  on  top  of  them.  The  men  who  were 
chasing  them  on  horseback  fell  in  among  the  animals 
without  noticing  where  they  were  going.  Three  of 
the  horses  that  fell  in  among  the  cows,  all  saddled 
and  bridled,  were  lost  sight  of  completely. 

* 'There  was  another  native  of  Quivira  with  the 
army,  a  painted  Indian  named  Ysopete.  This  Indian 
declared  that  Turk  was  lying  and  on  account  of  this 
the  army  paid  no  attention  to  him,  and  even  now, 
although  he  said  that  the  Querechos  had  con- 
sulted with  him,  Ysopete  was  not  believed." 


A  BEAUTIFUL.  INDIAN  GIRL..  79 

'*They  found  an  Indian  girl  here  who  was  as 
white  as  a  Castilian  lady,  except  that  she  had  her 
chin  painted  like  a  Moorish  woman.  In  general  they 
all  paint  themselves  in  this  way  here,  and  they 
decorate  their  eyes." 

*'Prom  here  the  general  sent  out  to  explore  the 
country  a>nd  they  found  another  settlement  four  days 
from  here  ....  The  country  was  well  inhabited, 
and  they  had  plenty  of  kidney  beans  and  prunes  like 
those  of  Castile,  and  tall  vineyards.  These  village 
settlements  extended  for  three  days.  This  was  called 
Cona.  Some  Teyas,  as  these  people  are  called,  went 
with  the  army  from  here  and  traveled  as  far  as  the 
end  of  the  other  settlements  with  their  packs  of  dogs, 
women  and  children,  and  then  they  gave  them 
guides  to  proceed  to  a  large  ravine  where  the  army 
was.  They  did  not  let  these  guides  speak  with  the 
Turk  and  did  not  receive  the  same  statements  from 
these  as  they  had  from  the  others.  These  said  that 
Quivira  was  toward  the  north  and  that  we  would  not 
find  any  good  road  thither.  After  this  they  began  to 
believe  Ysopete,  The  ravine  which  the  army  had 
now  reached  was  a  league  wide  from  one  side  to  the 
other,  with  a  little  bit  of  a  river  at  the  bottomland 
there  were  many  groves  of  mulberry  trees  near  it, 
and  rosebushes  with  the  same  sort  of  fruit  that  they 
have  in  France.  They  made  verjuice  from  the  unripe 
grapes  at  this  ravine,  although  there  were  ripe  ones. 
There  were  walnuts  and  the  same  kind  of  fowls  as  in 
New  Spain,  and  large  quantities  of  prunes  like  those 
of  Castile.  During  this  journey  a  Teyas  was  seen  to 
shoot  a  bull  right  through  both  shoulders  with  an 


80  HOW    NATIVE    VVO.MEN   DRESS. 

arrow,  which  would  b3  a  good  shot  for  a  musket. 
These  people  are  very  intelligent;  the  women  are  well 
made  and  modest.  They  cover  their  whole  body. 
They  wear  shoes  and  buskins  made  of  tanned  skin. 
Tlie  women  wear  cloaks  over  their  small  petticoats, 
with  sleeves  gatherd  up  at  the  shoulders,  all  of  skin, 
and  some  wear  something  like  little  sanbenitos  with  a 
fringe,  which  reached  half  way  down  the  thigli  and 
over  the  petticoat." 

''It  was  estimted  that  during  this  fortnight  they 
killed  500  bulls.  The  number  of  these  that  were  there 
without  any  cows  was  something  incredible.  M'xn7/ 
fellows  were  lost  at  that  time  who  went  out  hunting 
and  did  not  get  back  to  the  army  for  two  or  three 
days,  wandering  about  the  country  as  if  they  were 
crazy,  in  one  direction  or  another,  not  knowing  how 
to  get  back  where  they  started  from,  although  this 
ravine  extended  in  either  direction  so  that  they  could 
find  it.  Every  night  they  took  account  of  who  was 
missing,  fired  guns  and  blew  trumpets  and  beat 
drums  and  built  great  fires,  but  yet  some  of  them 
went  off  so  far  and  wanderd  about  so  much  that  all 
this  did  not  give  them  any  help,  although  it  helped 
others.  The  only  way  was  to  go  back  where  they 
had  killed  an  animal  and  start  from  there  in  one 
direction  and  another  until  they  struck  the  ravine  or 
fell  in  with  somebody  who  could  put  them  on  the 
right  road.  It  is  worth  noting  that  the  country  there 
is  so  level  that  at  midday,  after  one  has  wandered 
about  in  one  direction  and  another  in  pursuit  of  game, 
the  only  thing  to  do  is  to  stay  near  the  game  quietly 
until  sunset,  so  as  to  see  where  the  sun  goes  down,  and 


INDIAN  FEMALES  PAINT.  81 

even  then  they  have  to  be  men  vrho  are  practiced  to 
do  it.  Those  who  are  not,  had  to  trust  themselves  to 
others." 

**The  women  paint  their  chins  and  eyes  like  the 
Moorish  women  of  Barbary.  They  drink  wine  made 
of  the  pitahaya,  which  is  the  fruit  of  a  j^^reat  thistle 
which  opens  like  the  pomegranate.  The  wine  makes 
them  stupid.  They  make  a  great  quantity  of  pre- 
serves from  the  tuna;  they  preserve  it  in  a  large 
amount  of  its  sap  without  other  honey.  They  make 
bread  of  the  mesquite,  like  cheese,  which  keeps  good 
for  a  whole  year.  There  are  native  melons  in  this 
country  so  large  that  a  person  can  carry  only  one  of 
them.  They  cut  these  in  slices  and  dry  them  in  the 
sun.  They  are  good  to  eat  and  taste  like  figs  and  are 
better  than  dried  meat;  they  are  very  good  and  sweet, 
keeping  for  a  whole  year  when  prepared  in  this  way. 
''In  this  country  there  was  also  tame  eagles  which 
the  chiefs  esteemed  to  be  something  li.ie.  No  fowls 
of  any  sort  were  seen  in  any  of  these  v  !lages  except 
in  this  valley  of  Suya,  wL:  re  fowls  like  those  of  Cas- 
tile were  found.  Nobody  could  find  out  how  they 
came  to  be  so  far  inland,  the  people  being  all  at  war 
with  one  another.  Between  Suya  and  Chicilticalli 
there  are  many  sheep  and  mountain  goats  with  very 
large  bodies  and  horns.  Some  Spaniards  declare 
that  they  have  seen  flocks  of  more  than  a  hundred 
together,  which  raa  so  fast  that  they  disappeared 
very  quickly." 

''Cibola  hrxs  seven  cities.  The  largest  is  called 
Macaque.  Tlie  liouses  are  ordiiix^.ri'y  three  or  four 
stories  high,  but  in  Macque  there  are  houses  with 


82    .  HOW  THE   WOMEN  DRESS. 

four  and  seven  stories.  These  people  are  very  mt*^!- 
ligent.  Tliey  cover  their  privy  parts  and  all  the  im- 
modest parts  with  cloths  made  like  a  sort  of  table 
napMn,  with  fringed  edges  and  a  tassel  at  each 
corner,  which  they  tie  over  the  hips.  They  wear 
long  robes  of  feathers  and  of  the  skins  of  hares,  and 
cotton  blankets.  The  women  wear  blankets  which 
they  tie  or  knot  over  the  left  shoulder,  leaving  the 
right  arm  out.  These  serve  to  cover  the  body.  They 
wear  a  neat,  well-shaped  outer  garment  of  skin.  They 
gather  their  hair  over  the  two  ears,  making  a  frame 
which  looks  like  an  old-fashioned  head-dress." 

The  city  next  described  was  located  where  Ber- 
nalillo, Barnalillo  County,  New  Mexico,  now  stands. 

"Tiguex  is  a  province  with  twelve  villages  on  the 
banks  of  a  large,  mighty  river:  some  villages  on  one 
side  and  some  on  the  other  side.  It  is  a  spacious  valley 
two  leagues  wide,  and  a  very  high,  rough,  snow- 
covered  mountain  chain  lies  east  of  it.  There  are 
seven  villages  in  the  ridges  at  the  foot  of  this,  four  on 
the  i)lain  and  three  situated  on  the  skirts  of  the 
mountain. 

"There  are  seven  villages  seven  leagues  to  the 
north  at  Quirix,  and  the  seven  villages  of  the  province 
of  Hemes  are  forty  leagues  northeast  to  Acha,  and 
four  leagues  southeast  to  Tutahaco,  a  province  with 
eight  villages.  In  general,  these  villages  all  have  the 
same  habits  and  customs,  although  some  have  some 
things  in  particular  which  the  others  have  not.  They 
are  governed  by  the  opinions  of  the  elders.  They  all 
work  together  to  build  the  villages,  the  women  being 
engaged  in  making  the  mixture  for  the  waUs,  while 


the  men  bring  the  v^ood  and  put  it  in  plar'O.  Tliey 
have  no  lime,  but  they  make  a  mixtui-e  of  a-siies,  coals? 
and  dirt,  which  is  almost  rs  mortar,  for  when  the 
house  is  to  have  four  stories,  they  do  not  make  the 
walls  more  than  half  a  yard  thick.  They  gather  a 
great  pile  of  twigs  of  thyme  and  sedge  grass  and  set 
it  nfire,  and  when  it  is  half  coals  and  ashes  they  throw 
a  quantity  of  dirt  and  water  on  it  and  mix  it  all 
together.  They  make  round  balls  of  this,  which 
they  use  instead  of  stones  after  they  are  dry,  fixing 
them  with  the  same  mixture,  which  comes  to  be 
like  a  stiff  clay.  Before  they  are  married  the  young 
men  serve  the  whole  village  in  general,  and  fetch  the 
wood  that  is  needed  for  use,  putting  it  in  a  pile  in  the 
court-yard  of  the  villages,  from  which  the  women 
take  it  to  carry  to  their  houses.  Tliey  gather  a  great 
quantity  of  brushwood  and  dry  it  to  use  for  cooking 
all  through  the  year.  There  are  no  fruits  good  to  eat 
in  the  country  except  the  pine  nuts.  They  have 
their  preachers.  Sodomy  is  not  found  among  them. 
They  do  not  eat  human  flesh  nor  make  sacrifices  of  it. 
Tlie  people  are  not  cruel,  for  they  had  Francisco  de 
Ovando  in  Tiguex  about  forty  days  after  he  was  dead, 
whole  and  without  any  other  wound  except  the  one 
that  killed  him,  white  as  snow,  without  any  bad  smell. 
I  found  out  several  things  about  them  from  one  of 
our  Indians,  who  had  been  a  captive  among  them  for 
a  whole  year.  I  asked  him  especially  for  the  reason 
why  the  young  Avomen  in  the  province  went  entirely 
naked,  however  cold  it  might  be,  and  he  told  me  that 
the  virgins  had  to  go  around  this  way  until  they  took 
a  husband  and  that  they  covered  themselves  after 


84         '  THE  MARRIAGE   CEREMONY. 

they  had  known  man.  The  men  here  wear  little 
skirts  of  tanned  deer  skin  and  their  long  robes  over 
this.  In  all  these  provinces  they  have  earthenware 
glazed  with  antimony,  and  jars  of  extraordinary  labor 
and  workmanship,  which  are  worth  seeing." 

**When  any  man  wishes  to  marry,  it  has  to  be 
arranged  by  those  who  govern.  The  man  has  to 
spin  and  weave  a  blanket  and  place  it  before  the 
woman,  who  covers  herself  with  it  and  becomes  his 
wife.  The  houses  belong  to  the  women,  the  'estufas' 
to  the  men.  If  a  man  repudiates  his  woman  he  1  las 
to  go  to  the  estufa.  It  is  forbidden  for  women  to 
sleep  in  the  estufas,  or  to  enter  these  for  any  purpvose 
except  to  give  their  husbands  or  their  sons  sj  .no- 
thing to  eat.  The  men  spin  and  weave.  The  v/crion 
bring  up  the  children  and  prepare  the  food.  T:;3 
country  is  so  fertile  that  they  do  not  have  to  break  n]^ 
the  ground  the  year  round,  but  only  have  to  sow  tlie 
seed,  which  is  presently  covered  by  the  fail  of  snow, 
and  the  ears  come  up  under  the  snow.  In  one  year 
they  gather  enough  for  seven.  A  very  large  number 
of  cranes  and  wild  geese  and  crows  and  startlings 
live  on  what  is  sown,  and  for  all  this,  when  they  come 
to  sow  for  another  year,  the  fields  are  covered  with 
corn  which  they  have  not  been  able  to  finish 
gathering. 

''There  are  a  great  many  fowls  in  these  prcviices 
and  <?ocks  with  great  hanging  chins.  When  dead, 
these  keep  for  sixty  days,  and  longer  in  winter,  with- 
out  losing  their  feathers  or  opening,  and  without  any 
bad  smell;  and  the  same  is  true  of  dead  men.  Their 
virgins  also  go  nude  until  they  take  husbands,  be- 


DESCRIPTION   OF  BUFFALOES.  ,85 

cause  they  say  that  if  they  do  anything  wrong  then 
'  it  will  be  seen,  and  so  they  do  not  do  it.  They  do  not 
•  heed  being  ashamed  because  they  go  around  as  they 

were  born."        ^^.^^.  

''There  are  a  great  number  of  wolves  on  these 
plains,  which  go  round  with  the  cows.  They  have 
white  sldns.  The  deer  are  pied  with  white.  Their 
skin  is  loose,  so  that  when  they  are  killed,  it  can  be 
pulled  off  with  the  hand  while  warm,  coming  off  lil^ie 
pigskin.  The  rabbits,  which  are  very  numerous,  are 
so  foolish  that  those  on  horseback  killed  them  with 
their  lances.  This  is  when  they  are  mounted  a:ncn  j 
the  cows.     They  fly  from  a  person  on  foot. 

* 'Now  that  I  wish  to  describe  the  appGara^ico  of 
the  bulls,  it  is  to  be  noticed  first  that  there  was  not 
one  of  the  horses  that  did  not  take  flight  when  ho  saw 
them  first,  for  they  have  a  narrow  short  face,  the 
brow  two  palms  across  from  eye  to  eye,  the  eyes 
sticking  out  of  the  side,  so  that  when  they  are  run- 
ning, tliey  can  see  who  is  following  them.  They  have 
very  long  beards  like  goats  and  when  they  are  run- 
ning they  throw  their  heads  back  wifch  the  beard 
dragging  on  the  ground.  There  is  a  sort  of  girdle 
round  the  middle  of  the  bodj.  The  hair  is  very 
woolly,  like  a  sheep's,  very  fine,  and  in  front  of  the 
girdle  the  hair  is  very  long  and  rough  as  a  liou'S. 
They  have  a  hump,  larger  than  a  camel's.  The  horns 
are  short  and  thick,  so  that  they  are  not  seen  much 
above  the  hair.  In  May  they  change  the  hair  in  the 
middle  of  the  body  for  a  down,  which  makes  perfect 
lions  of  them.  They  rub  against  the  small  trees  in 
the  little  ravines  to  shed  their  hair,  and  they  continue 


86  A  VERY  LEVEL  CX>UNTEY. 

this  until  only  the  down  is  left,  as  a  snake  changes 
his  skin.  When  they  run,  they  carry  it  erect  like  a 
scorpion.  It  is  worth  noticing  that  the  little  calves 
are  red  and  just  like  ours,  but  they  chani^i  their  col- 
or and  appearance  with  time  and  age. 

"Another  strange  thing  was  that  all  the  bulls 
that  were  killed  had  their  left  ears  slit,  although 
these  were  whole  when  young.  Tlie  reason  for  this 
was  a  puzzle  that  could  not  be  guessed.  The  wool 
ought  to  make  good  cloth  on  account  of  its  fineness, 
although  the  color  is  not  good,  because  it  is  the  color 
of  beryl. 

** Another  thing  worth  noticing  is  that  the  bulls 
traveled  without  cows,  in  such  large  numbers  that 
nobody  could  have  counted  them,  and  so  far  away 
from  the  cows  that  it  was  more  than  forty  lea:?ues 
from  where  we  began  to  see  the  bulls  to  the  place 
where  we  began  to  see  the  cows.  The  country  they 
traveled  over  was  so  level  and  smooth  that  if  one 
looked  at  them  the  sky  could  be  seen  between  their 
legs,  so  that  if  some  of  them  were  at  a  distance  they 
looked  like  smooth-trunked  pines  whose  tops  jointed, 
and  if  there  was  only  one  bull,  it  looked  as  if  there 
were  four  pines.  When  one  was  near  them  it  was 
impossible  to  see  the  ground  on  the  other  side  of 
them.  The  reason  for  all  this  was  that  the  country 
seemed  as  round  as  if  a  man  should  imagine  himself 
in  a  three-pint  measure,  and  could  see  the  sky  at  the 
edge  of  it,  about  a  cross-bow  shot  from  him;  and  even 
if  a  man  only  lay  down  on  his  back  he  lost  sight  of  the 
ground.'* 

"The  country  is  so  level  that  men  became  lost 


MARCX>  POLO/  87 

when  they  went  off  half  a  league.  One  horseman  was 
lost  who  never  reappeared,  and  two  horses,  all  sad- 
dled and  bridled,  which  they  never  saw  again.  No 
track  was  left  of  where  they  went,  and  on  this  ac- 
count it  was  necessary  to  mark  the  road  by  which 
they  went  with  the  cow  dung,  so  as  to  return,  since 
there  were  no  stones  or  anything  else.  Marco  Polo, 
the  Venetian,  in  his  treatise,  (chapter  15),  relates  and 
says  that  he  saw  the  same  cows  with  the  same  sort  of 
hump;  and  in  the  same  chapter  he  says  that  there  are 
sheep  as  big  as  horses.  Nicholas,  the  Venetian,  gave 
an  account  to  Micer  Pogic,  the  Florentine,  in  his  sec- 
ond book,  toward  the  end,  which  says,  that  in  Ethio- 
pia they  have  oxen  with  a  hump,  like  camels,  and 
they  have  horns  three  cubits  long,  and  they  carry 
their  horns  up  over  their  backs,  and  one  of  these 
horns  makes  a  wine  pitcher.  INIarco  Polo  (in  chapter 
134),  says,  that  in  the  country  of  the  Tartars,  toward 
the  north,  they  have  dogs  as  large  or  little  smaller 
than  asses.  They  harness  these  into  a  sort  of  cart 
and  with  these  enter  a  very  miry  country,  all  a  quag- 
mire, where  other  animals  cannot  enter  and  come  out 
without  getting  submerged,  and  on  this  account  they 
take  dogs.  We  found  Indians  among  these  first 
cows,  who  were  on  this  account  called  Querechos  by 
those  in  the  flat-roof  houses.  They  do  not  live  in 
houses,  but  have  some  sets  of  poles  which  they  carry 
with  them  to  make  some  huts  at  the  places  where 
they  stop,  which  serve  them  for  houses.  They  tie 
ttiese  poles  together  at  the  top  and  stick  the  bottoms 
into  the  ground,  covering  them  with  some  cow-skins 
which  they  carry  around,  and  which,  as  I  have  said, 


88  V7HAT   THE  OLD  CHRONICLERS   SMD. 

serve  them  for  houses.  From  what  was  learned  of 
these  Indians,  all  their  human  needs  are  supplied  hy 
these  cows,  for  they  are  fed  and  clothed  and  shod 
from  these.  They  are  a  people  who  Avander  around 
here  and  there,  wherever  seems  to  them  best.  We 
went  on  for  eight  or  ten  days  in  the  same  direction, 
along  these  streams  which  are  among  the  cows.  The 
Indian  who  guided  us  from  here  was  the  one  that  had 
given  us  the  news  about  Quivira  and  Arache,  (or  Ara- 
hei),  and  about  its  being  a  very  rich  country  with 
much  gold  and  other  things,  and  he  and  the  other  one 
from  that  country  I  mentioned,  to  which  we  were 
going,  and  we  found  these  two  Indians  in  the  flat-roof 
villages.  It  seems,  that  as  the  said  Indian  wanted  to 
go  to  his  own  country,  he  proceeded  to  tell  us  what 
we  found  was  not  true,  and  I  do  not  know  whether  it 
was  on  this  account  or  because  he  was  counselled  to 
take  us  into  other  regions  by  confusing  us  on  the 
road,  although  there  are  none  in  all  tins  re^-^ion  except 
those  of  the  cows.  We  understood,  however,  that  he 
was  leading  us  away  from  the  route  Vv^e  oiiglit  to  fol- 
low and  that  he  wanted  to  lead  us  on  to  those  plains 
where  he  had  led  us,  so  that  ^Ye  would  eat  up  the 
food,  and  both  ourselves  and  our  horses  would  be- 
come weak  from  the  lack  of  this,  because  if  we  should 
go  either  backward  or  forward  in  this  condition,  we 
could  not  make  any  resistance  to  whatever  they 
m'5Tht  wish  to  do  to  us.  From  the  time  Vviien,  as  I 
fiald,  we  entered  the  plains,  and  from  this  settlement 
of  Querechos,  he  led  us  off  more  to  the  east,  until  we 
ca-mo  to  be  in  extreme  need  from  lack  of  food;  and  as 
the  other  Indian,  who  was  his  companion  and  also 


LOST   ON   THE   PLAINS.  89 

from  liis  country,  saw  tliat  he  was  not  taking  us 
where  we  ought  to  go,  since  we  had  always  followed 
the  guidance  ol  Turk,  for  so  he  was  called  instead  of 
his,  he  threw  himself  down  in  the  way,  making  a 
sign  that  although  v/e  cut  off  his  head  we  ought  not 
to  go  that  way,  nor  was  that  our  direction.  I  believe 
we  had  been  traveling  twenty  days  or  more  in  this 
direction,  at  the  end  of  which  we  found  another  set- 
tlement of  Indians  of  the  same  sort  and  way  of  living 
as  those  behind,  among  whom  there  was  an  old  blind 
man  with  a  beard,  who  gave  us  to  understand  by 
signs  which  he  made,  that  he  had  seen  four  others 
like  us  many  days  before  whom  he  had  seen  near 
there  and  rather  more  toward  New  Spain.  And  so 
we  understood  him,  and  I  presumed  that  it  was  Dor- 
antes  and  Cabeza  de  Vaca  and  those  whom  I  have 
mentioned." 

These  portions  are  recited  so  that  the  historical 
part  of  the  expedition  may  be  authoritatively  known. 
The  scholarly  men  who  compiled  the  volume  from 
which  the  citations  are  given,  spared  no  labor  in  the 
compilation  of  the  work  for  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment. It  expended  a  large  amount  of  money  in  paying 
the  numerous  ethnologists,  who  put  in  years  of  re- 
search on  the  subject.  You  note  that  the  Spaniards 
frequently  speak  of  Indians  they  came  across  while 
going  through  Texas  and  Indian  Territory.  They  are 
called  Querechos,  and  the  compilers  of  the  Govern- 
ment's two  volumes,  in  a  note,  say  these  were  the 
Comanches;  also  the  Spaniards  have  mentioned  the 
Teyas  Indians  who  were  enemies  of  the  Querechos. 
May  not  this  name  'Teyas"  be  the  origin  of  Texas? 


40  freedom!  GLOEIOtHS  FBE^SDOM! 

Tbereisas  much  similarity  as  **Cansas"  to  Kansas. 
This  subject  will  be  commented  upon  further. 

The  great  explorer  and  commander  with  his 
whole  force  has  arrived  at  the  south  bank  of  the 
Arkansas  river,  and  he  can  plainly  see  that  the  army 
is  becoming  discouraged,  owing  to  the  lack  of  proper 
and  wholesome  food.  There  was  no  dearth  of  meat, 
for  as  you  have  been  informed,  the  army  was  hardly 
out  of  the  sight  of  the  immense  herds  of  buffalo,  deer 
and  antelope;  but  meat  for  breakfast  and  the  same 
for  dinner  and  ditto  for  supper  would  become  some- 
what monotonous.  But  the  general  was  determined 
to  test  the  truth  of  Turk's  statements;  hence  he 
resolved  to  select  thirty  of  his  best  horemen  and  six 
foot  soldiers  and  make  a  dash  for  the  goal — not  the 
pole  as  is  often  done  in  arctic  explorations.  Is  there 
any  wonder  that  Coronado  determined  to  see  the  end? 
Those  who  saw  the  prairies  of  Texas,  Indian 
Territory,  Oklahoma  and  Kansas  only  fifty  years 
before  they  commenced  to  be  settled  to  any  extent, 
KNOW  wbat)  a  fascination  the  country  had  for  them. 
It  mattered  not  to  the  early  Kansas  settler  that 
the  grasshopp3r  ate  up  his  corn,  wheat,  and  in  fact, 
all  green  vegetation,  or  that  it  was  blasted  by  hot 
winds  or  dried  up  for  the  want  of  rain;  yet  he  loved 
the  country  and  even  if  he  was  compelled  to  leave  his 
homestead  for  a  few  years  because  of  the  failure  of 
crops,  he  would  pine  for  "home"  and  would  return. 
TViere  was  someibing  exhilarating  in  the  sunshine;  the 
air  was  pure  and  resembled  that  of  the  ocean;  and  last 
but  not  least,  he  felt  a  freedom  which  is  inexplicable 
and  incomprehensible  to  those   who    hare  not  ex- 


OOSOKABO  Na  FOOU  91 

pwienced  the  pleasurable  sensation. 

And  then  this  man,  C!oronado,  was  no  fool;  he 
knew  a  fine  country,  and  for  no  other  reason,  he  was 
sure  it  would  make  as  rich  an  agricultural  country  as 
Spain,  and  he  writes  the  King  and  Viceroy  Mendoza. 
He  knew  from  the  calculations  of  the  men  whose 
reckoning  was  to  step — step  every  foot  of  the  way 
traveled,  counting  each  stride,  so  as  to  make  a 
scientific  report,  that  he  was  some  place  near  the  37th 
degree  North  latitude;  this  line  which  is  the  boundary 
of  Kansas  will,  if  followed  directly  east,  pass  near  the 
south  line  of  Spain  in  Europe.  He  told  of  the  rich  soil, 
the  beautiful  climate,  the  streams  skirted  with  timber. 
Mind  you,  he  reached  the  Arkansas  June  29th,  that 
being  St.  Peter  and  Paul's  Day.  The  river  has  that 
name  to  commemorate  the  day.  This  period  of  the 
year  is,  without  doubt,  the  finest  for  giving  a  favor- 
able impression  of  that  country. 

*  Presto  change!  The  Don  traversed  Oklahoma  and 
Kansas  in  1541,  yet  not  until  350  years  afterward,  1889, 
did  the  astute  Yankee  discover  that  this  land  was 
valuable  for  homes;  and  just  let  us  paint  a  picture  of 
what  took  place  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  1889,  over 
the  very  ground  which  Coronado's  army  passed: 

It  is  April  22nd,  at  noon,  1889.  All  along  the 
southern  boundary  of  Kansas,  soldiers  keeping  them 
from  crossing  the  line,  are  arranged  thousands  of 
men  and  women  who  are  waiting  for  a  cannon  to 
boom  as  the  signal,  which  is  the  Government  of  the 
United  States'  word  "Go,"  as  if  it  was  a  race  for  life. 
Some  are  on  race  horses,  others  are  riding  mules, 
others  in  wagons;  some  in  buggies,  many  on  foot; 


92  THE  OKLAHOMA   *'rUN." 

most  of  whom  have  been  enduring  hardships  for 
days  and  perhaps  weeks — all  for  the  sake  of  procur- 
ing 160  acres  of  land  at  the  nominal  price  of  $1.25  per 
acre.  Talk  about  the  greed  of  the  Spaniard  aiid  dis- 
regard for  the  rights  of  the  natives  in  the  year  1541! 
TBiose  who  saw  and  took  part  in  that  memorable 
"run''  for  a  claim  in  Oklahoma  can  testify  to  the  bru- 
tality and  craze  of  the  average  ''boomer";  they  were 
like  animals,  and  all  for  the  right  to  procure  a  pieci 
of  land  which  for  350  years  had  been  considered  of  no 
value.  Another  thought:  Many  of  the  horses  which 
made  the  race  so  that  his  rider  could  be  the  first  to 
stand  on  a  quarter- section  of  land,  thus  entitling  him 
to  the  right  of  i^ossession  by  reason  of  his  being  the 
first  occupant,  was  an  offspring  of  some  of  the  Span- 
ish mares  which  v/ere  left  in  the  country  in  the  year 
1541,  they  being  called  "Indian  ponies,"  "Texas 
ponies,"  "Broncos,"  "Cayugas,"  etc.  Tliose  who 
have  had  the  satisfaction  to  view  the  magnificent 
country  all  along  the  Arkansas  river,  as  well  as  north 
and  south  thereof,  do  not  have  to  stretch  their  imagi- 
nations to  see  the  pleasure  experienced  by  those  early 
discoverers.  A  man  would  be  a  chunk  of  wood  who 
could  not  be  impressed  with  the  grandeur  of  the 
scene — beautiful,  level  land,  verdure  as  green  and  lux- 
uriant as  any  to  be  seen  in  the  world,  not  excepting 
Spain  or  Italy;  for  the  comparison  has  been  made, 
that  if  it  were  possible  for  the  inhabitants  of  the 
eastern  half  of  Kansas  to  be  put  to  sleep  and  then  be 
transported  to  Italy  without  being  aware  of  the 
change  of  location,  on  awakening  they  would  not  be 
able  to  discern  the  difference  in  the  crops,  trees  and 


CAMPED  ON   THE  ARKAXSv.S.  08 

vegetation.  Take  the  production  of  corn,  in  the  qaaJity 
and  quantity  of  which  Kansas  f  roqiiently  excels  all 
others,  and  compare  the  little  puTiy  corn  fields  in 
Italy,  and  particularly  the  size  of  the  ears.  That 
grown  in  Italy  is  about  seven  inches  long  and  the 
Kansas  ear  is  a  foot  long  and  will  weigh  twice  as 
much.  And  so  it  is  with  wheat,  in  which  she  sur- 
passes all  other  states  or  countries;  her  flour  now 
excels  all  others  and  is  sought  after  by  all  European 
countries.  Then  her  cattle  and  liogs  furnish  rations 
for  the  armies  of  the  world  and  lier  horses  will  com- 
pare favorably  with  those  of  any  other  state  or 
country. 

You  have  orten  read  of  the  extraoruinary,  incom- 
parable, romantic  blueness  of  the  Italian  sky.  Poets 
and  artists  work  themselves  up  to  a  pitch  of  ecstacy 
in  their  fervor  and  enthusiasm  when  describing  the 
softness  and  beauty  of  Italy's  canopy.  Bah!  the 
Sunflower  State  can  go  her  one  belter. 

The  forgoing  digression  was  prompted  so  as  to 
prove  that  Coronado  was  a  prophet,  when  he  put  on 
record  that  Quivira,  (Kansas),  iiad  *'fat  black  soil" 
and  that  all  the  products  of  Sp.Jn  would  grow  here." 

Of  course,  you  are  aware  tliat  quite  a  number  of 
priests  were  with  the  aririy.  They  were  all  good 
Catholics,  whose  sole  purpose  was  to  convert  the 
heathen  natives  to  Cliristianil^^,  and  they  must  be 
accorded  just  credit  for  their  rectitude  in  the  interest 
of  humanity.  So  when  the  camp  was  made  on  the 
afternoon  of  June  29,  1541,  after  an  opportunity 
was  given  the  men  to  bathe  in  the  river,  religious 
services  were  held;  after  which  the  general  held  a 


•4  THE  INTREPID  THIRTY-SIX. 

council  of  officers  to  obtain  an  expression  of  his 
command  what  was  best  to  do.  After  considerable 
discussion  it  Was  decided  that  thirty  horsemen  and 
six  foot  soldiers  should  proeeed  on  to  the  cities  of 
Quivira,  but  that  the  main  body  should  retrace  their 
steps  toward  Tiguex  to  await  the  return  of  the 
general,  who  was  to  personally  conduct  the  diminished 
expedition.  Of  course,  there  were  more  than  the 
thirty-six  soldiers,  for  since  reaching  the  plains 
numerous  Indiams  had  been  seen  and  now  there  ars 
several  besides  Turk  and  Ysopete  who  know  th« 
country  well. 


EIGHTa 

You  may  preach,' 
And  you  can  pray; 
But  if  you  're  too  B:ay, , 
The  Lord  will  aay: 
"Out  of  my  way; 
You  've  gone  astray." 
So  **repent  today,'' 
Is  the  minstrel's  lay, 

I  RE  YOU  getting  impatient,  dear 
reader,  to  get  word  from  Alonso  and 
Monte?  You  have  been  informed  ihsA 
Alonso  was  your  hero,  and  yet  he  has 
not  been  heard  from,  notwithstanding 
he  has  come  all  the  way  from  Compostella  to  the 
River  Saint  Peter  and  Paul's.  But  rest  assured,  he 
has  not  been  idle,  mentally  or  physically,  for  he  has 
taken  part  in  every  skirmish  or  battle  with  tl;ie 
Indians  and  has  had  various  experiences  during  the 
sixteen  months  since theexpeditionlefttherendezvouft, 
which  would  fill  a  book,  sixteen  months  passed  in 
the  hum  drum  of  the  average  business  does  not  count 
for  much,  but  this  period  of  time  spent  in  going , 
through    such    numerous     and    often  *  dangerous ' 


96.  KANSAS   HAS  82,080   SQUARE   MILES. 

experiences,  as  were  encountered  by  Alonso,  is  a 
horse  of  another  color.  He  is  in  the  prime 
of  his  manhood;  his  strength  of  character  hp.s  been 
tested;  many  times  temptations  of  all  descriptions 
have  been  resisted;  his  mother  might  be  proud  of  her 
darling  boy  and  his  father  would  compare  him  with 
the  chivalrous  Cid  of  old;  and  She,  whose  beautiful 
face  and  figure  was  ever  present,  would  be  justiiied 
in  worshiping  him  as  her  idol,  for  he  was  all  that  she 
could  desire;  and  by  telepathic  communication  trans- 
mitted over  cupid's  relays,  batteries  and  sounders, 
through  the  invisible  conductor  erected  in  the  Heavens 
by  the  Great  Inventor,  and  Promoter, — she  is 
sanguine  in  her  own  mind  of  her  lover's  faithfulness 
and  iidelity;  and  on  his  part,  he  has  been  rewarded 
for  his  constancy  by  a  sensation  so  pleasurable  that 
thoughts  of  Heaven  could  not  possibly  surpass  it. 

One  of  the  secrets  in  life  was  early  learned  by 
our  hero,  not  to  despise  others  occupying  a  positioii 
below  him;  for  in  his  youth  he  frequently  discovered 
some  person  who  could  give  him  information  acquired 
by  experience,  such  as  those  in  his  own  station  in 
life  knew  nothing  abont;  he  had  been  often  entertained 
by  an  old  servant  in  his  father's  employ,  who  had 
seen  much  service;  the  old  man  had  schooled  his 
young  master  how  to  care  for  himself  during  ^the 
tedious  and  trying  march,  and  now  he  was  cognizant 
that  the  old  fellow  knew  whereof  he  was  advising. 
So  Monte  was  counselled  to  make  friends  with  a  few 
of  the  best  Indian  servants,  and  more  particularly 
to  cultivate  the  acquaintance  of  the  Quivira  Indian, 
Ysopete;  and  frequently  would  Alonso,  Monte  and 


\"SOPETE3    THE   KANSAN.  97 

Ysopete  commune  together  discussing  the  difficulties 
which  were  to  be  overcome;  for  the  Quivira  Indian 
had  traversed  the  country  when  he  was  captured  on 
the  plains  and  brought  to  the  mountains.     Alonso 
and  Monte  made  it  a  point  to  treat  the  Quivirian 
kindly  and,  more  than  that,  meted  out   substantial 
benefits  to  him  in  the  way  of  comforts;  which  to  this 
plains  Indian  were  delicious  luxuries,  and  hence  he 
would  have  devoted  his  life  to  his  Spanish  and  Mex- 
ican friends;    and   all   through   the   expedition  the 
two  -  received  many  benefits    by    the    sagacity  and 
nobleness  of   the  poor    slave  Indian,  which  repaid 
them  many  fold.     Of  course,  up  until  the  time  when 
the  army  left  Tiguex    in  February,   1541,  our  two 
young  men  did  not  have  the  advantage  of  the  experi- 
ence of  Ysopete.     It  was  only  after  they  left  for  the 
great  cities  of  Quivira  that  he  became  their  slave  by 
choice.  -  But  Alonso    found  himself    very    advanta- 
geously situated  from  the  first  day  of  the  expedition 
owing  to  the  acquaintance  of  Monte  with  the  natives, 
for  many  of  the  chiefs  had  known  his  father,  and  the 
fact  of  his  sire  having  been  a  great  chief,  they  natur- 
ally respected  his  son;  so  frequently    Alonso    saw 
thinj^s  which  even  Coronado  never  had  any  knowl- 
edge of  and  which  would  have  been  undiscovered  by 
our  hero  had  it  not  been  for  his  servant  Monte.     All 
through  the  narratives  written  by  the  men  whose 
province  it  was  to  record  the  history  of  the  exploring 
party  it  is   noted  how    frequently    Spaniards  died 
from  a  slight  wound,  because  the  arrow  or  spear 
which  inflicted  it  was  poisoned.     Monte  knew  that 
the  mountain  tribes  used  this  poison  for  he  had  been 


98  POISONED  ARROWS. 

SO  advised  by  his  tutors  and  he  had  some  inlding  tliab 
they  had  an  antidote  but  the  nature  of  which  was 
unknown  to  him,  so  he  resolved  that  it  would  be  one 
of  the  first  things  he  must  discover  to  demonstrate 
his  regard  and  solicitude  for  the  welfare  of  his  kind 
master,  for  early  in  the  trip  he  found  how  serious  it 
was  to  be  injured  in  the  slightest  manner;  in  fact,  it 
was  sure  death,  and  more  Spaniards  died  on  this 
memorable  expedition  through  its  means  than  by  all 
other  causes. 

As  before  stated  Cibola,  or  the  first  of  the  seven 
cities,  which  were  originally  the  projective  points  of 
the  army,  was,  according  to  Castenada,  captured  on 
July  7th,  1540.  The  natives  when  they  first  saw  the 
Spaniards  arrayed  before  their  walled  city,  con- 
cluded to  resist,  but  they  were  defeated.  There  is  a 
detailed  account  of  this  affair  in  the  translations,  but 
some  things  are  left  for  future  writers  to  describe. 

When  the  Indians  discovered  that  the  invaders 
were  about  to  defeat  them,  they  shut  themselves  up 
in  their  strong  rooms.  During  the  night  the  victor- 
ious army  entered  part  of  the  stronghold^  .^  It  is  here 
we  wish  to  pick  up  the  story  of  our  hero's  exploits. 
Of  course,  Monte  took  no  part  in  the  fight,  his  duty 
was  to  care  for  his  master's  outfit  and  be  ready  to 
care  for  him  in  case  of  accident,  but  Monte  knew  the 
principal  chief  of  the  city  and  succeeded  in  reaching 
him  during  the  night  by  the  aid  of  a  friendly  native, 
who  was  a  citizen  of  Cibola.  The  chief  had  confidence 
in  the  scion  of  royalty  and  propounded  many  ques- 
tions to  the  young  man  relative  to  the  action.  *of<the 
Spaniards  under  Cortes  when  he  deposed  his  father. 


A  SECRET  DIVULGED.  99 

How  else  could  the  young  man  answer  other  than  to 
tell  the  truth,  which  was  derogatory  to  the  Span- 
iards? Many  things  were  talked  about,  and  the 
advice  given  by  Monte  to  the  chief  was  to  the  effect 
that  he  and  his  people  had  better  make  their  escape. 
During  the  interview  Monte  informed  the  chief  of  the 
nobleness  of  his  master,  and  asked  the  chief  to  con- 
fide to  him  the  remedy  for  curing  a  wound  made  by  a 
poisoned  arrow  so  that  he  could  save  his  master 
should  he  get  hurt.  The  chief  hesitated,  but  the  ear- 
nestness of  his  young  friend  and  the  fervor  and 
friendship  displayed  for  his  young  master,  struck  the 
Indian  chief  as  being  so  commendable  that  he  agreed 
to  impart  the  information,  if  Monte  would  take  a  sol- 
emn oath  to  never  divulge  the  remedy  to  any  other 
person;  and  that  he  was  only  to  use  it  upon  himself 
and  others  who  were  dear  to  him.  Of  course  Monte 
gladly  assented  to  the  stipulation. 

Then  the  chief  informed  him  how  they  proceeded 
to  make  their  missiles  so  deadly.  **If  we  cannot  pro- 
cure rattlesnake's  venom,  the  most  deadly  poison, 
then  the  next  best  thing  is  to  allow  liver  to  decom- 
pose, to  which  may  be  added  crushed  tarantulas  and 
scorpions;  then  we  take  the  spines  of  the  cactus  and 
mix  them  in  with  grease.  This  will  cause  much  irri- 
tation of  the  wound.  But  for  any  of  these,  and  par- 
ticularly for  the  rattlesnake  venom,  the  juice  of  the 
quince  applied  is  the  only  known  cure.''  So  from 
that  hour  Monte  resolved  to  never  be  without  some 
of  the  remedy,  and  thus  he  saved  his  master's  life. 

But  you  naturally  exclaim,  what  part  did  Alonso 
take  in  this  first  assault?    His  conduct  was  so  con- 


100  HEROISM  OP  ALONSO. 

spicuous  that  Coronado  commended  him  in  private. 
Not  only  was  he  brave  but  cautious.  Frequently  by  his 
foresight  did  he  save  the  life  of  some  individual  officer 
or  soldier.  These  natives  v^ere  not  cowards  by  any 
means,  but  when  it  is  taken  into  consideration  that 
they  had  never  heard  a  gun  fired,  is  there  any  won- 
der that  they  did  not  withstand  the  onslaught?  Can 
you  draw  upon  your  imagination  and  picture  a  line  of 
men  in  armor;  riding  animals  which  you  have  never 
seen  before  in  your  life  rushing  toward  you,  crying 
out  in  a  strange  language,  and  before  reaching  you 
throwing  something  from  an  instrument  which  came 
so  swiftly  toward  you  that  the  little  missile  would 
strike  you  or  your  friend  so  hard  as  to  go  through 
your  flesh,  tear  and  gash,  so  it  caused  you  or  them  to 
fall,  killed  or  badly  hurt?  What  could  such  an  un- 
known force  be  compared  with?  The  Indians  to  a 
man  were  justified  in  the  thought  that  the  Spaniards 
were  aided  by  the  God  of  thunder  and  lightning,  for 
wpuld  not  the  flash  of  the  musket  be  the  lightning 
and  the  report  be  the  thunder?.  So  at  the  very  first 
volley,  the  poor  dwellers  of  Cibola  became  panic 
stricken  and  rushed  pell-mell  into  the  narrow  en- 
trance; the  foot-soldiers  not  encumbered  with  armor, 
attacking  them  while  retreating,  the  heavily  equipped 
horsemen  following  in  the  wake;  and  because  of 
Alonso's  light  equipment  and  Babieca's  careful 
grooming,  Alonso  was  the  first  to  reach  the  hand  to 
hand  melee.  He  sprang  off  his  horse,  and  drawing 
his  sword,  assisted  his  comrades  who  had  gotten 
mixed  up  in  the  throng  of  natives.  Although  retreat- 
ing they  were  using  their  heavy  clubs  on  their  assail- 


NEW  THUNDER  ANIJ  LIGHTNING.  101 

ants.  Domingo  Martin  and  a  fellow  named  Sanches 
were  down,  and  numerous  Indians  were  about  to 
slay  them  with  their  weapons,  when  Alonso  sprang 
into  their  midst  flourishing  his  sword  in  the  approved 
manner  taught  him  by  his  old  fencing  master.  The 
natives  held  their  ground  seeing  so  few  of  the  onGmj 
were  really  in  their  midst,  and  ceasing  to  notice  the 
prostrate  soldiers,  concentrated  their  ef'orts  upon 
the  new  arrival,  who  although  outnumbered  yet 
because  of  his  superior  skill  in  the  use  oi  the  kcon 
three-feet-six  highly  burnished  Grenada  blade, 
was  able  to  protect  the  fallen  men  from  further 
injury.  But  the  helmet  of  our  hero  received  several 
dents  as  well  as  his  body  armor,  and  when  he  found 
the  throng  becoming  too  numerous,  he  drew  from  his 
belt  the  "dag,"  that  all  cavaliers  carried,  which  upon 
being  discharged  at  close  range,  emitting  fire  and 
smoke,  so  awed  the  inexperienced  Indians  that  they 
turned  and  ran,  thinking  the  evil  spirit  was  on  the 
side  of  the  invaders.  Take  your  watch  in  hand,  now 
raise  your  good  right  arm,  then  locate  the  little  min- 
ute hand,  and  now  in  fancy  think  you  are  holding  in 
your  hand  a  sword,  then  pretend  that  you  are  slash- 
ing at  a  foe  and  keep  account  of  the  number  of  times 
you  lunge  or  strike.  "  In  one  minute  it  will  be  dis- 
covered to  be  somewhere  in  the  neighborhood  of  fifty; 
so  when  it  is  stated  that  it  was  only  a  minute  that 
Alonso  stood  in  the  seething  mass  of  retreating  In- 
dians, yet  in  such  a  position  it  is  a  very  long  time. 
Not  only  did  he  save  the  lives  of  his  two  comrades, 
but  when  succor  came  he  was  the  cause  of  cutting  off 
the  retreat  of  a  score  of  Indians  who  were  taken 
prisoners. 


102  _    LIEUTENANT  PEREZ  PRAISED. 

The  commanding  officer  was  early  on  the  scene 
and  saw  the  terrific  work  of  Lieutenant  Perez,  as  well 
as  the  aid  extended  to  his  two  brave  soldiers,  and 
although  he  did  not  commend  him  on  the  spot, 
neither  in  public,  yet  in  private  he  took  the  young 
man's  hand  and  with  a  pressure  and  look  which 
conveyed  more  than  words,  said;  "I  am  proud  of  my 
fellow  townsman,  and  shall  report  to  your  kinsmen 
at  home.''  That  word,  home,  brought  Her  to  his 
mind  more  vividly  than  anyone  else.  It  was  she  whom 
he  desired  to  please.  Many  precepts  flashed 
through  his  mind  of  which  she  had  told  him,  as 
taught  in  her  Koran;  and  had  she  not  informed  him 
that  one  of  the  principles  was  to  practice  humility, 
when  most  successful?  And  if  ever  he  should  receive 
the  adulations  of  princes  or  fawning  followers,  he 
was^  to  remember  this  precept  of  her  "^  religion. 
It  was  she  who  had  informed  our  hero  of  the  Christ- 
like demeanor  of  him  who  came  537  years  after  the 
Christian  Son  of  God.  Her  prophet  would  not  wear 
fine  or  costly  raiment;  he  knew  the  necessity  of 
frail  humans  avoiding  the  last  upper  round  of  the 
ladder  of  fame;  he  fully  realized  the  scientific  theory 
of  balance  and  avoided  the  extreme  ends,  for  a  small 
thing  put  on  the  apex  of  Jacob's  Stairway  will  cause 
it  to  lose  its  perpendicular — and  so  he  still  wore  his 
camel-  hair  shirt,  still  lived  in  his  unpretentious  and 
humble  dwelling,  even  at  the  time  when  the  wealth 
of  Asia  was  pouring  into  Medina. 

So  Alonso  schooled  himself  to  that  modesty  of 
mien  which  denotes  a  man  whose  equilibrium  is  weU 
cultivated.     Hence  he  avoided  at  this  time  becoming 


A  WOMAN  ON  THE  BRAIN.  103 

conspicuous;  but  he  ever  had  it  in  mind  to  rise  to  the 
occasion  should  the  time  ever  present  itself  when  it 
became  requisite  to  do  so. 

Alonso  had  the  most  trying  experiences  at 
Tiguex,  at  which  point  the  Spanish  army  wintered 
during  1540  and  1541.  In  truth  more  grumbling  was 
heard  among  the  soldiery  and  their  servants  than  at 
any  other  time.  Is  it  not  a  natural  axiom  which  will 
hold  good  the  world  over,  that  frigid  weather  without 
the  proper  clothing,  and  particularly  without  some 
nook  into  which  one  may  crawl  out  of  the  piercing 
and  nipping  wind  or  stinging  cold,  will  cause  strong, 
vigorous,  resolute  men  to  get  into  their  minds  that 
life  is  not  worth  living?  And  whenever  a  human  being 
gives  up  and  loses  his  courage  upon  becoming  chilly 
and  numbed  by  reason  of  cold,  he  can  easily  lose  his 
life,  or  contract  some  complaint  which  wiU  cause 
trouble  in  the  future.  It  must  have  been  an 
exceptionally  cold  winter  that  season;  for  all  the 
writers  tell  of  the  hardships  experienced  there. 

The  man  who  has  been  out  in  the  wilds  when 
the  thermometer  registered  twenty  or  thirty  degrees 
below  zero,  and  particularly  if  the  wind  was  blowing, 
knows  what  vim  and  energy  it  requires  to  keep 
from  freezing  the  extremities.  The  toes,  fingers, 
nose  and  ears  are  very  susceptible.  This  may  be 
read  by  persons  who  have  not  had  the  experience 
of  encountering  the  extreme  cold,  and  perhaps  have 
never  heard  of  the  peculiar  effect  cold  will  have  upoil, 
the  back  of  the  head  at  the  bump  just  above  the  necU 
It  is  the  tenderest  spot  of  all,  and  should  a  man  expose 
that  part,  he  vs^ill  soon  discover  a  peculiar  sensation, 


104  COLD  BRINGS   SLEEP. 

which  no  doubt  is  the  principal  cause  of  giving  up; 
for  the  brain  loses  its  activity  and  power  to  revolve 
.the  wheels  and  keep  up  the  necessary  friction  of  the 
brain  that  sends  the  message  to  the  balance  of  the 
body;  to  be  brave  and  not  p;ive  up:  for  is  it  not  a 
demonstrated  fact  laiown  to  all  explorers  and 
travelers  in  cold  countries,  tli:iu  to  give  vi?ij  to  sleep 
under  such  conditions  is  certain  death?  Doctor 
Solander,  one  of  the  arctic  explorers,  while  travling 
in  the  intense  cold,  kej^t  admonishing  his  men  to 
not  permit  themselves  to  give  way  to  sleep,  and  yet 
he  himself  laid  dov7n  and  the  men  were  compelled  to 
beat  him  and  set  him  on  his  feet,  running  with  him  to 
induce  will  power,  and  during  all  this  the  commander 
fought  and  even  tried  to  injure  his  men  as  he  became 
crazy  to  go  to  sleep.  It  is  told  as  a  fact  that  two 
trappers  were  in  the  northern  part  of  Canada,  both 
inured  to  cold,  and  yet  one  day  one  of  the  men  ob- 
served that  his  companion  was  becoming  depressed 
in  spirits  and  intimated  that  he  was  sleepy;  where- 
upon his  mate  knew  from  experience  that  something 
must  be  done  quickly  or  he  would  be  alone  in  the 
wilderness;  so  he  struck  the  would-be  sleeper  a  blow, 
cursed  him  for  a  coward,  and  did  everything  to  rile 
him,  to  make  him  mad  and  fight.  In  this  he  finally 
succeeded,  and  after  blows  had  been  exchanged,  the 
companion  who  was  solicitous  of  his  friend's  welfare, ' 
finally  called  out  for  him  to  stop,  and  explained  the 
reason  for  his  attack;  thus  the  man  who  was  about  to 
give  up  had  his  blood  surging  through  his  body  and 
was  alive  in  every  sense  of  the  word. 

But  notwithstanding  that  the  average  soldier 


LEARN  TO  CARE  FOR  YOURSELF.   ,,  105 

"was  whining  about  the  cold,  Alonso  and  Monte  were 
quite  comfortable,  for  they  not  only  realised  the 
necessity  of  procuring  .  comfortable  quarters  for 
themselves,  but  their  horse  and  mule  must  be  housed; 
and,  mind  you,  there  were  no  stables  in  Tiguex;  for, 
although  the  natives  of  Cibola  had  during  the  twenty 
years  of  Spanish  dominion  of  Mexico  heard  of  the 
wonderful  animal,  yet  they  had  no  stables  at  that 
time;  so  our  young  men  were  obliged  to  erect  a  stable, 
which  was  done  with  the  assistance  of  some  natives. 
Then  again  our  two  young  men,  in  their  conduct 
towards  the  citizens  of  the  village,  were  not  arrogant 
or  domineering,  but  gentle  and  kind  both  to  the  men 
and  women,  and  it  must  be  noted  that  the  exemplary 
maimer  in  which  they  acted  toward  the  women  folks 
soon  spread;  hence  they  were  respected  more  than 
any  /ihers  in  camp,  and  of  course  this  held  more 
strongly  with  Alonso  for  he  was  a  soldier  and  a 
gentleman.  It  was  so  rare  for  this  clas^  to  be 
virtuous  that  these  untutored  natives  showed  their 
reverence  for  such  conduct.  History  will  bear  out 
the  statement  that  more  travelers  have  lost  their 
lives  owing  to  the  manner  they  permit  their  brute 
natures  to  control  their  conduct  toward  the  op- 
posite sex  than  by  any  other  causes.  Without  doubt 
the  circumnavigator  of  the  globe,  Captain  Cook,  wa» 
killed  by  jealous  men.  If  this  is  doubted,  read 
the  account  of  the  captain's  last  sojourn  with  the 
natives  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands  on  February  14, 1779. 
Sis  men  did  not  wish  to  leave  the  country,  they 
became  so  enamored  with  the  native  women,  who 
were  comely  and  attractive;  and  in  fact,  some  did  run 


106   '  VIRTUE  REWARDED. 

away  from  the  ship  and  remained. 

Take  the  mutiny  of  the  Bountj^  Tliis  vessel  was 
sent  to  Tahite  in  the  Pacific  in  1787  by  the  British 
Government  to  collect  plants.  While  the  crew  were 
gathering  the  cargo  they  took  up  with  the  females,  and 
became  so  carried  away  that  after  they  had  left  for 
home  they  concluded  to  mutiny;  so  putting  in  a  boat 
the  captain  and  eighteen  of  the  men,  the  remainder 
returned  to  the  island  where  they  had  left  their  en- 
chantresses. The  Good  Bock  appears  to  put  the 
blame  on  the  poor  v/omen  but  all  honest,  manly,  pure 
men  will  have  to  concede  that  this  is  a  mistake,  at 
least  in  the  year  of  Our  Lord  1908. 

,  Another  incident  happened  while  wintering  at 
Tiguex  which  showed  the  stufC  of  which  Alonso  was 
made.  The  com^manding  olUcer  demanded  of  the 
chief  SCO  cloaks,  but  he  did  not  have  that  many:  so 
the  Spaniards  went  from  village  to  village  taking  by 
force,  if  necessary,  all  the  cloaks  they  wanted,  even 
compelling  the  natives  to  hand  over  the  one  which 
they  might  be  wearing.  This  was  only  one  of  the 
incidents  that  caused  the  Indians  to  feel  the  yoke  of 
the  invaders.  So  unreasonable  were  the  Spaniards  that 
the  natives  would  not  have  been  men  if  they  did  not 
resist  the  ill  treatment.  But  Alonso  intimated  to 
Coronado  that  if  he  was  compelled  to  resort  to  steal- 
ing,— and  he  considered  it  nothing  else, — ^that  he 
would  not  remain  with  the  expedition;  he,  therefore, 
took  no  part  in  the  raid  for  cloaks.  This  also  made 
a  favorable  impression  on  the  natives,  for  they  ob- 
vf"\-d  he  was  not  wearing  one  of  their  garments.  "^ 
*  xi  was  aft'er  this  episode  that  the  Spaniards  so 


riTE   INDJA.NS  FEEI.   SPANISH    YOKE.  107 

exasperated  the  Indians  that  they  commenced  to'j 
make  arrangments  for  the  annihilation  of  their 
enemies,  and  in  all  probability  they  would  have 
succeeded  but  for  Alonso  and  Monte.  As  before 
stated  Monte  had  friends  among  the  natives.  He 
made  it  a  part  of  his  duty  to  keep  up  and  retain  this 
good  feeling  in  the  interest  of  his  beloved  master, 
not  only  for  his  protection,  but  he  v^as  able  to 
obtain  many  articles  of  diet  and  comfort  which  the 
balance  of  the  army  did  not  procure.  The  last  act 
which  brought  about  the  revolt  of  the  subdued  people 
was  the  lack  of  faith  on  the  part  of  the  Spaniards  in 
not  giving  Whiskers  his  liberty;  for  they  had  kept 
him  as  a  hostage.  This  was  the  climax,  and  resulted 
in  a  secret  arrangement  between  all  the  villages  for 
the  purpose  of  driving  the  interlopers  from  their 
homes. 

Becaase  Monte  frequented  the  homes  of  some 
of  the  principal  chiefs,  also  through  his  acquaintance 
with  quite  a  number  of  Indians  both  of  the  village 
and  among  the  army  servants,  he  could  not  help  but 
conclude  that  some  secret  move  was  on  foot.  There 
was  no  stir,  in  fact,  there  appeared  to  be  a  listless- 
ness  and  an  abandonment  to  their  fate;  the  purpose 
of  which  was  to  put  the  army  off  their  guard.  But 
Monte  observed  the  under-current  and  informed  his 
master  of  his  suspicions.  He  was  admonished  by 
Alonso  to  keep  a  sharp  look-out  and  report  what  he 
observed.  Thus  our  young  men  had  the  advantage 
of  the  others,  at  least  by  being  on  their  guard,  but 
trouble  came  sooner  than  it  was  expected,  for  Monte 
had  concluded  nothing  would  be  done  until  spring, 


108  ANIMAL  SAGAQTY. 

i 

which  was  several  weeks  hence. 

Don  Rondrigo  Maldorado  was  the  oTA  ler  of  the 
watch  one  night  when  at  about  the  fourth  watch,  the 
natives  thought  to  surprise  the  army;  but  Monte 
ever  alert  heard  a  strange  and  unusual  noise.  Had  he 
been  asked  to  define  what  it  was,  he  could  not  have 
done  so;  but  even  the  prowling  wild  animals  acted 
differently  than  usual;  they  knew  there  was  some 
thing  going  on  that  was  new  for  the  night  time;  the 
wolves  spoke  in  language  which  denoted  they  were 
disturbed;  and  Monte  also  heard  the  Indian  dogs 
barking  in  unusual  manner;  then  the  birds  and 
other  game  were  restless;  yet  to  the  uninitiated,  there 
was  nothing  startling  or  strange  about  this  condition 
of  things.  To  him  who  makes  a  study  of  such 
matters,  it  was  as  good  as  a  shout  of  warning.  Your 
attention  is  called  to  frogs  in  summer,  they  wiU 
croak — croak — croak,  but  instantly  you  put  in  an 
appearance,  how  quickly  they  stop.  If  you  have  had 
any  experience  with  pea  fowls  or  guinea  fowls, 
they  are  the  quickest  to  discover  anything  going  on. 
It  is  axiomatic  among  farmers  who  have  these  birds, 
that  no  noise  or  strange  object  can  be  around  them 
without  their  giving  warning. 

When  Monte  concluded  that  all  nature  was  on 
the  alert,  he  thought  it  meet  that  he  should  be  like 
wise,  so  his  master  was  quietly  notified,  and  he  with 
Monte  thought  best  to  be  ready  for  any  emergency. 
And  it  was  weU,  for  shortly  afterwards  Monte 
discovered  hundreds  of  Indians  stealthily  approach- 
ing the  camp.  He  ran  to  his  master's  tent,  who  was 
fully  prepared,  and   even    had    his  horse  saddled. 


INDIANS  DRFVEN  INTO  RIO  OBA.N]>E.         109 

Instantly  be  gave  the  alarm,  which  was  only  a  few 
mi'nutes  before  the  Indians  came  on  with  their 
linearthly  yells.  They  did  kill  several  Spaniards, 
but  were  themselves  driven  into  the  Rio  Grande,  and 
to  use  the  words  of  one  who  was  present:  "They 
were  driven  back  with  great  slaughter  until  they 
came  to  the  river  where  the  water  flowed  swiftly 
and  very  cold.  <#  They  threw  themselves  into  this,  and 
as  the  men  had  come  quickly  from  the  whole  camp 
to  assist  the  cavalry,  there  were  few  who  escaped 
being  killed  or  wounded.  Some  men  from  the  camp 
went  across  the  river  next  day  and  found  many  of 
them  who  had  been  overcome  by  the  great  cold. 
They  brought  these  back,  cured  them,  and  made 
servants  of  them." 

There  were  a  good  many  small  fights  between 
Tiguex  and  the  i^rkansas;  for  the  Indians  of  Texas, 
Indian  Territory,  and  Oklahoma  harassed  the 
expedition  whenever  a  good  opportunity  afforded; 
but  in  every  instance  our  hero  conducted  liimself  as 
becomes  a  brave  soldier. 


NINTII^ 

A  Iran  to  ar).vanco> 
Must  have  a  chance, 

So 
Judge  not  by  appearance, 
But  by  the  perseverance. 

ANDELIER  is  one  of  the  principal  au- 
thorities upon  the  route  covered  by  Coro- 
nado.  He  with  General  Simpson  and  Major 
Powell,  agree  that  the  troops  first  got 
into  Kansas  through  Barber  County.  The  old 
chroniclers  tell  of  meeting  some  Indians  before 
reaching  the  river  St.  Peter  and  Paul's,  so  it  is  here 
assumed  that  there  was  a  village  located  on  the  Medi- 
cine Lodge  river,  at  the  Junction  of  another  stream. 
Those  who  have  seen  the  beautiful  country  sur- 
rounding this  town  and  consider  the  numerous  water 
courses  near  by,  cannot  but  admit  that  in  all  proba- 
bility here  was  the  first  of  the  Quivira  villages  seen 
in  the  province.  Its  location  is  about  sixty  miles 
from  the  Arkansas  river.  The  derivation  of  names 
usually  have  a  significance.  Why  have  v;p  i  Medicine 
Lodge  and  a  river  of  the  same  name;     ^'here  is  no 


-       MUSICAL  GEOGRAPHICAL   NAME3.  .111 

sncb  nomenclature  in  the  Anglo-Saxon  lanirnncro  It 
is  not  a  violent  presumption  to  assume  thnt,  it  is  of 
Indian  ori^n.  It  is  authoritatively  stated  by  Amer- 
ican historians  that  it  was  the  Comanche  and  Texas 
Indians  whom  the  Spaniards  met  through  Texas, 
Indian  Territory  and  the  southern  part  of  Kansas;  so 
may  not  Comanche  County,  adjoining  Barber  County, 
be  the  place  where  part  of  the  tribe  had  a  stopping 
place  when  hunting  buffalo,  or  when  on  the  war  path 
with  the  Kansas,  Pawnee,  Missouri  or  Osage  Indians? 
While  on  the  subject  of  names,  it  is  interesting  to 
contemplate  these  aboriginal  ones. — To  say  the  least, 
they  are  musical,  if  not  poetical.  The  following  are 
names  of  counties  in  Quivira:  Pawnee,  Shawnee,  Pot- 
tawatomie, Wabaunsee,  Comanche,  Wyandotte,  Cher- 
okee, Cheyenne  and  Osage.  Of  course  it  must  be 
acknowledged  that  the  only  ones  which  could  possibly 
go  back  to  the  date  of  our  history  is  Pawnee,  Coman- 
che, and  Osage.  These  were  Indians  of  the  plains  at 
the  time  Coronado  visited  Kansas,  the  others  are 
remainders  of  the  various  tribes  brought  to  the  state 
in  the  middle  of  the  19th  century  by  the  United 
States  Government,  and  located  on  separate  reserva- 
tions. Osage  County,  without  a  doubt,  is  named  after 
the  tribe  of  that  name,  which  was  surely  located  in  that 
neighborhood  when  the  first  white  man  came  to  the 
Osage  river.  It  was  and  is  now  an  ideal  stream  for 
canoeing,  at  least,  for  about  200  miles  above  the  con- 
fluence. Do  you  observe  that  the  nlno  names  of 
counties  in  Kansas  above  designated  all  end  with  '*e"? 
There  are  five  more  named  after  the  emigrant  tribes, 
making  fourteen  out  of  the  105  counties  in  Kansas 


112  14  COUNTIES   HAVE  INDIAN   NA.MES. 

whicli  bear  Indian  names. 

Since  you  are  within  the  borders  of  Qu'vira,  it 
becomes  necessary  to  introduce  you  to  the  tribes 
which  were  there  located.  One  pecallarity  about  the 
contemporaneous  accounts  of  the  expedition  is  that 
few,  if  any,  of  the  Indian  names  are  given  as  vv^e  know 
them  now.  All  the  men  who  gave  accounts  of  their 
experiences  frequently  refer  to  the  "Teyas"  Indians, 
whom  they  met  through  Texas  and  Indian  Territory; 
and  yet  it  cannot  be  authoritatively  stated,  tliat  the 
largest  state  in  the  Union  is  named  after  this  tribe, 
because  nothing  extant  bears  this  out.  But,  to  say 
the  least,  is  it  not  a  remarkable  incident  that  the  only 
difference  is  changing  the  'V*  to  an  "x"  so  that  it 
reads  now  as  * 'Texas"?  The  Spanish  pronuhciation 
for  this  is  **Ta-has,''  hence  there  needs  very  little 
stretch  of  the  imagination  to  realize  from  whence 
came  the  name.  Again,  all  along  the  route  after 
reaching  the  plains,  another  tribe  is  very  prominent, 
"Querechos."  Coronado  in  a  letter  written  to  the 
King  of  Spain,  dated  October  20,  1541,  teUing  of  his 
first  meeting  with  these  people,  said:  * 'After  nine 
days'  marck  from  Cicuye  (Pecos,  New  Mexico),  I 
reached  the  plains,  and  in  seventeen  days'  march  I 
came  to  a  settlement  of  Indians  who  are  called 
'Querechos'.*'  Taking  fifteen  miles  as  an  average 
day's  march  for  the  army,  145  miles  from  Pecos,  a  lit- 
tle south  of  Las  Vegas,  would  bring  the  expedition  to 
some  place  in  Oldham  County,  Texas,  and  here  it  was 
that  the  immense  herds  of  buffaloes  were  first  met. 
Again, if  we  take  another  eight  days'  march  from  here, 
we  will  have  reached  about  the  point  where  our  explor- 


COMANCHES  367  YEARS  AGO.  113 

er  wrote  to  the  king  that  he  first  came  across  a  Quere- 
chos  village.  Therefore,  let  us  locate  it  within  a  few 
miles  of  Roberts  County,  Texas.  If  you  will  look  at  a 
map  of  New  Mexico  and  Texas  you  will  find  the 
Canadian  river  runs  for  over  two  hundred  miles 
nearly  due  west,  and  is  surely  an  ideal,  natural  high- 
way for  an  army,  since  they  would  be  able  to  procure 
water  for  themselves  and  animals,  and  there  are  few 
obstructions.  Prom  this  place  till  the  northeastern 
part  of  Kansas  was  reached,  the  travelers  met  natives 
quite  frequently. 

According  to  the  authorities  this  tribe  of  Quere- 
chos  was  that  afterwards  known  as  Comanche, 
and  fi-om  Coronado's  account  of  them  they  were 
nomads  of  the  highest  order;  for  here  is  what  the 
great  Spaniard  said:  **They  travel  around  with  these 
cows,  who  do  not  plant,  and  who  eat  the  raw  flesh  and 
drink  the  blood  of  the  cows  they  kill,  and  they  tan 
the  skin  of  the  cows,  with  which  all  the  people  of  this 
country  dress  themselves  here.  They  have  little 
field  tents  made  of  the  hides  of  cows,  tanned  and 
greased  and  very  welt  made,  in  which  they  live  while 
they  travel  around  near  the  cows,  moving  with  these. 
They  have  dogs  which  they  load,  which  carry  their 
tents  and  poles  and  belongings.  Those  people  have 
the  best  figures  of  any  that  I  have  seen  in  the  Indies. 
They  could  not  give  me  any  account  of  the  country 
where  the  guides  were  taking  me  " 

There  is  one  query  which  flasbos  through  the 
mind  when  thinking  of  the  dwellers  in  Quivira  wher 
first  discovered:  How  came  it  that  although  there 
were  two  natives  of  this  province  with  the  expedition. 


114  CHIEF  OF      TATARRAX." 

/ 

Turk  and  Ysopete,  yet  nowhere  do  the  Spaniards 
mention  the  names  of  the  Indian  tribes  as  they  are 
now  known.  The  question  naturally  arises:  Are  the 
Kansas,  Osage,  Pawnee,  and  Missouri  tribes  different 
from  those  who  roamed  on  the  prairies  at  the  time  of 
our  story?  It  would  seem  that  the  two  guides,  so 
long  with  the  expedition,  would  have  used  the  names 
of  the  tribes  to  which  they  belonged,  so  that  those 
who  wrote  of  the  country  and  its  people  would  have 
gotten  somewhere  near  the  pronunciation.  But 
neither  Coronada,  Castaneda,  De  Sivola,  Del  Suceso 
Hakluyt  nor  Jaramillo,  all  of  whose  accounts  have  been 
carefully  translated  under  United  States  supervision, 
make  any  mention  of  the  various  tribal  names;  and, 
mind  you,  it  is  known  for  sure  that  the  general  and 
Jaramillo  were  two  of  the  thirty  horsemen  who 
reached  the  north  line  of  Kansas.  They  do  recite  the 
name  of  the  principal  chief  of  one  village  or  villages. 
He  is  designated  "Tatar rax,  Chief  of  Harahey,"  By 
a  stretch  of  the  imagination,  Harahey  might  be  con- 
strued to  mean  Osage.  Father  Marquette,  129  years 
after  the  time  of  this  story,  explored  the  same  terri- 
tory. He  spelled  this  name  "Oschage,"  which  re- 
sembles the  sound  as  now  given.  He  also  speUed 
the  others  as  follows:  *'Kansa,  Paniassa,  (Pawnee), 
Quermessowrit,  (Missouri)."  If  the  name  *'Harahey" 
is  changed  to  **Harshay,"  it  sounds  something  like 
Osage.  Coronado  gives  no  information  as  to  how- 
many  villages  the  various  tribes  had.  Father  Doriay 
states  that  in  1678  the  Osages  had  * 'seventeen  viUages 
on  a  river  of  that  name,  which  empties  into  that  of 
the  Missourites.*' 


INDIAN   SUMMER.  115 

Fne  history  of  Kansas  gives  sixteen  diiTerent 
ways  which  early  writers  spelled  the  same.  Most 
have  the  same  phonetic  sound.  Here  are  some  that 
would  be  difficult  to  distinguish  if  one  did  not  know 
what  it  referred  to:  "Canceas,  Cansez,  Kansies, 
Konza;  the  word  meaning  in  Indian  "Smoky".  The 
derivation,  in  all  probability,  came  from  the  peculiar 
atmospheric  condition  which  prevailed  in  the  fall  of 
the  year,  which  is  still  called  by  everyone  "Indian 
Summer,"  there  seeming  to  be  smoke  in  the  air. 
It  was  more  pronounced  when  the  state  was  first 
settled.  The  term  will  be  handed  down  to  posterity 
through  the  name, "Smoky  Hill  River." 

The  reason  for  raising  the  point  that  the 
historians  of  our  party  failed  to  touch  upon  the 
names  of  the  tribes,  is  because  of  a  statement  mad© 
by  J.  V.  Brower,  author  of  "Quivira",  a  magnificent- 
ly illustrated  and  highly  artistic  volume  published  by 
him  in  1898.  After  careful  research  over  several 
Indian  villages,  and  particularly  in  a  large  one  about 
two  miles  down  the  Kansas  River  from  Manhattan, 
near  the  junction  of  the  Kansas  and  Blue  Rivers; 
visiting  the  ruins  or  location  of  others  in  Geary, 
Riley  and  Wabaunsee  counties;  and  after  the  expend- 
iture of  a  large  amount  of  energy  and  funds,  he  with 
the  gentlemen  of  quivira  Historical  Society  came  to 
the  following  conclusion,  as  set  forth  on  page  11  of 
Brower's  "Quivira: 

"First — ViUage  sites  of  a  more  or  less  sedentary 
people  who  were  quite  permanently  located  on  both 
sides  of  the  Kansas  River.  They  made  and  used 
earthen  vessels  and  the    most  exquisitely  chipped 


116  EARLY  INDIAN  VILLAGES. 

specimens  of  flint  implements:  constructed  mounds 
of  stone  and  earth;  and  in  some  cases  calcined  the 
remains  of  the  dead. 

*' Second— Village  sites  of  a  wild  and  barbarous 
people  who  made  very  few,  if  any  earthen  vessels; 
and  whose  chipped  flint  implements  are  rudely  and 
roughly  made,  and  who  infested  the  plains  as  hunters 
and  warriors. 

**Third — ^Village  sites  which  yield  evidences  that 
they  were  occupied  alternately  by  people  who  widely 
differed  in  their  customs  and  habits;  the  chipped  im- 
plements of  the  first  class  and  of  the  second  class  be- 
ing promiscuously  intermixed  over  an  identical  field 
of  observation." 

As  you  will  observe,  the  learned  men  who  made 
careful  research  both  above  and  under  the  soil,  con- 
clude that  there  were  plain  indications  of  a  higher 
race  than  the  nomadic  buffalo  hunters.  Of  course, 
the  Kansas,  Osage,  Pawnees  and  Missouris  were  the 
people  who  roamed  over  Quivira  in  1673,  when  Father 
Marquette  visited  them,  but  bear  in  mind,  this  was 
129  years  after  the  epoch  here  treated.  That  is  a 
long  time  when  comparisons  are  made.  It  is  possi- 
ble, but  not  probable,  that  another  people  inhabited 
this  region,  and  that  they  were  conquered  or  driven 
out  after  the  Spaniards  were  there;  and  that  when 
the  renowned  French  ecclesiastic  visited  the  region, 
he  gave  the  names  of  the  invaders.  Although  it  is 
now  over  200  years  since  the  reverend  father  drew 
his  map  of  Quivira,  or  as  he  names  it,  "Ba.ssin  de  la 
Moride,"  yet  names  by  which  he  designated  the  var- 
ious tribes  are  still  extant. 


TWO  CENTS  AN   AGREl  117 

1ri9  only  way  to  comprehend  the  meaning  of  129* 
years  is  to  draw  upon  history  for  events,  and  what 
is  found  to  have  taken  place  in  the  last  129  years 
right  in  the  territory  that  is  being  described,  make* 
interesting  reading  for  the  student  of  history.  It 
belonged  to  Spain  129  years  ago,  then  Prance  got  it; 
the  next  thing  that  happened,  Napoleon  sold  it  to  the 
United  States  for  the  paltry  sum  of  fifteen  million 
dollars;  but  mind  you,  Louisiana  comprised  what 
would  be  equal  to  nearly  eighteen  states  the  size  of 
Kansas,  and  in  fact,  it  cost  our  astute  and  dear  old 
Uncle  Sam  about  two  cents  per  acre!  Who  would 
not  buy  land  at  that  price?  It  was  just  100  years  on 
September  25,  1906,  since  Lieutenant  Pike  visited  the 
Pawnee  Indians  about  fifty  miles  up  the  Solomon 
river  in  Kansas,  and  it  is  only  about  sixty  years  ago 
that  the  Federal  Government  induced  many  tribes 
to  come  to  Kansas.  Since  that  time  most  of  them 
have  again  been  removed  to  the  Indian  Territory,  and 
fifty  years  ago  there  were  but  a  few  hundred,  or  at  the 
most,  a  few  thousand  people  living  in  the  State.  Fifty 
years  ago  the  old  martyr,  John  Brown,  was  flourish- 
ing at  Osawatomie;  and  last,  but  not  least,  it  was  only 
forty-seven  years  since  Quivira  became  a  State. 

It  showed  remarkable  foresight  on  the  part  of 
Coronado  when  he,  3G7  years  ago,  wrote  to  Mendoza 
and  the  King  of  Spain  iii  this  strain:  *'That  the  soil 
was  black  and  fat;  that  the  grass  made  fine  pasture; 
that  most  of  the  products  of  Spain  would  grow  here; 
that  it  would  make  a  fme  agricultural  country,"  etc. 
This  Spaniard  was  a  prophet,  but  one  without  honor 
in  his  own  day,   and  that  was  owing  to  his  being 


118  CORONADO  A   PKOPIIET. 

unsuccessful  in  cliscoverh\^  a  rich  nation  which  could 
be  plundered  of  its  created  wealth,  as  Cortes  and  the 
Pizarros  had  done.  How  like  history  through 
all  time  this  is.  Nothin.^-  succeeds  like  success,  and, 
mind  you,  this  means  to  have  lands,  houses,  money; 
character  without  "the  root  of  all  evil"  availeth  not; 
for  with  rare  exceptions,  no  man  is  accepted  for  a 
station  of  honor  who  is  poor;  but  then  those  excep- 
tions usua-lly  make  their  mark  "and  leave  their  names 
inscribed  upon  the  rolls  of  glory.  Columbus  was 
without  means,  yet  his  n?.iTi9  will  be  in  books  printed 
thousands  of  years  lience.  He  vfas  given  a  chance  to 
show  the  metal  in  him  and  vve  know  the  result.  Bo- 
naparte was  not  a  descendant  of  some  noble  house, 
and  yet  he  demonstrated  by  acts  the  force  of  his  per- 
sonality, and  further,  while  he  selected  his  generals 
from  the  ranks,  nothing  could  w^ithstand  his  soldiery 
when  led  by  their  peers;  but  when  the  same  leaders 
became  rich  and  effete,  and  the  first  consul  of  France 
became  emperor,  when  titles  w^ere  conferred  upon 
the  commanders,  they  seemed  to  lose  the  incompre- 
hensible innate  something  which  dominates  others. 
Was  this  not  one  of  the  reasons  why  the  Frenchmen 
were  not  successful  in  their  last  campaigns?  Com- 
panies, regiments,  brigades,  and  corps  must  have  the 

*'Come  on,  boys,  let's  give  'em ,"  and  the  captain 

over  a  company,  as  well  as  acting  generals,  must  be 
in  the  van,  for  if  they  keep  to  the  rear  and  give  the 

word,  "Go  on,  boys,  and  give  them ,"  it  will  have 

the  same  effect  as  when  the  business  man  does  not  at- 
tend to  his  affairs;  he  will  fail;  and  this  wUl  hold  good 
more  strongly  with  the  farmer  tlian  with  any  other 


GIVE  A   MAN   A  CHANCE.  119 

class.  Let  a  tiller  of  the  soil  and  a  keeper  of  stock 
lie  in  bed  and  expect  a  man  to  get  up  at  five  o'clock 
and  attend  to  the  work  of  the  day;  let  the  husband- 
man neglect  to  superintend,  and  he  will  soon  find 
things  going  vv^rong.  Of  course  there  are  exceptions 
to  this  rule. 

^  Did  not  the  South  African  War  which  England 
recently  had  on  her  hands,  demonstrate  the 
incompetenc^T-  of  the  average  commander  of  the 
British  forces?  Men  selected  to  lead  from  those  who 
are  nobles  by  birth  are  not  as  elective  as  general^ 
from  the  masses,  for  no  other  reason  than  that  they 
have  fulfilled  the  requirements  of  the  Missourian 
who  insisted  upon  being  shown.  Surely  Generals 
KoLcrtr;  and  Kitchener  showed  the  feather-bed, 
pami:>ered  men  with  influence;  generals  they  were, 
N.  G.  Then  with  this  experiencCj  let  the  United 
States  raise  men  from  the  ranks  and  if  it  expects  to 
continue  to  be  great,  it  must  see  to  it  that  there  are 
no  patricians  or  plebeians  but  that  all  arc  American 
Citizens. 

Take  another  ihustration:  U.  S.  Grant  had 
straggled  against  financial  adversity.  It  seemed  he 
could  not  get  into  his  proper  sphere;  and  yet,  when 
he  was  given  a  chance,  see  what  he  accomplished. 
Wliy,  his  name  will  be  used  in  military  schools  and 
circles  for  all  time  to  teach  the  cadet  the  art  of  war; 
but  that  which  should  immortalize  this  man  is  the 
difference  between  him  and  the  Caesars  and 
Napoleon;  these  last  were  not  willing  to  become 
humble  citizens,  but  used  their  power  to  make  them- 
selves rulers,  whereas,  he  who  so  magnanimously 


120  GRx\NT  AND  LINCOLN. 

took  the  hand  of  anothor  great  general,  (R.  E.  Lee), 
at  Appomattox,  and  who  told  the  surrendering 
soldiers  to  take  their  horses  and  mules  home  so  they 
could  have  a  stake  to  commence  life  with,  retired  to 
civil  life,  notwithstanding  he  had  an  army  of  devoted 
soldiers  who  at  his  bidding  could  and  would  have  con- 
fiscated the  lands  and  stock  of  the  subjugated  states. 
He  later  as  President  of  the  United  States,  did  ?Al 
in  his  power  to  protect  the  South  from  the  vultures. 
denoted  ^'Carpet  Baggers."    All  hail  Grant! 

What  a  pair  they  make  when  they  stand  side  by 
side, — Lincoln  and  Grant, — the  civil  and  military!  No 
controversy  ever  will  arise  relative  to  the  genealogical 
tree  of  the  Abraham  of  modern  times.  It  does  not 
require  a  Genesis  to  recite  who  begat  *'Abe";  but  he, 
like  his  general  was  given  a  chance,  and  of  the  result 
nU  nations  are  informed. 

Inhere  is  another  lowly  character  who  was  scoffed 
at  while  living;  he  was  as  poor  as  poor  can  be,  and  so 
wrought  up  were  the  stupid  people  that  they  actually 
accused  him  of  treason  and  dragged  him  before  the 
chief  magistrate;  and  he,  although  fully  realizing  thai 
no  offense  had  been  committed,  yet  for  the  reason' 
that  the  accused  one  had  no  funds  with  which  to 
retain  counsel  and  grease  the  machinery  of  the  Jus- 
tice mill,  and  being  unable  to  deliver  material  favors, 
the  court  waived  jurisdiction  and  permitted  the  daft 
rabble  to  give  the  man  a  trial  by  ordeal,  and  you 
know  how  they  nailed  him  to  chunks  of  wood  and 
taunted  him  about  his  character,  and  yet  this  same 
man  is  now  talked  about,  his  name  being  upon  the 
tongues  of  millions.    And  what  did  they  kill  him  for? 


A   PICTURE   OF  CASTLE   GARDEN.  121 

Only  because  he  told  the  business  men  of  the  time 
that  character  was  more  precious  than  riches,  and 
that  every  man  should  have  a  chance. 

And  lastly — For  a  few  minutes'  stand  in  Castle 
Garden,  New  York,  and  watch  the  monster  liner 
unload  its  human  cargo.  Do  you  obs^rv3  that 
wooden-shoed  Dutchman  and  sturdy,  ''a  yard  around 
the  waist"  frau?  Just  see  the  soft,  innocent  smile  of 
wonder  on  their  faces.  Ah,  there's  a  "Dago";  and 
that's  a  Swede;  but  see  that  red-headed  Irishman; 
and  then  you  whisper  to  yoat:  companion — -^^'What 
a  pretty  looking  lot  to  bocomo  American  citizens"! 
It  must  not  be  printed  Trhr.t  you  said,  as  you  v^rould 
be  ashamed,  yes,  and  in  fact,  would  in  your  sober 
moments,  condemn  yourself  as  a  ninny  for  having 
such  views.  Why?  Because  that  young  Teuton  and 
his  wife  will  rear  the  finest  specimens  of  manhood 
and  womenhood  in  tiie  whole  world;  and  because  of 
being  given  a  chance,  will  increase  the  wealth  and 
power  of  our  government,  as  Vv^ell  as  m.ateriaily  better 
their  own  condition;  and  that  son  of  the  vickings  will 
make  as  good  an  American  as  the  American  born;  in 
fact,  it  is  proverbial  that  Danes,  Swedes  and  Nor- 
wegians are  the  best  of  citizens.  Ah,  but  what  of 
the  Italian?  He  will  solve  the  Negro  question  in  the 
SouthI  Ask  any  Southern  land-owner  who  has  used 
and  is  using  Italian  and  Negro  labor;  and  see  if  he 
don't  inform  you  that  the  Italian  is  far  superior  to 
the  colored  man  for  industry,  thrift  and  reliability. 
This  may  be  a  new  thought  to  you,  but  the  statement 
is  made  advisedly;  and  right  here,  the  colored  help 
of  the  Southern  States   are    warned  to  brace  up» 


122  AMERICA  EUROPEANS'   PARADISE. 

cease  their  foolishness,  and  work,  work,  viduk;  fo{ 
that  is  what  the  new  importation  of  men  are  doing 
They  are  also  saving  their  money  and  getting  a  mule 
of  their  own  as  well  as  a  piece  of  land. 

But  what  will  yon  do  with  the  Irishman?  T7ell 
my  friend,  the  day  of  *'No  Irish  need  apply",  has 
gone,  and  thank  God  for  it!  he  is  the  bnll-dog  of  the 
human  family  for  he  does  not  know  when  he  is  licked. 
A  pugilist  must  have  Irish  blood  in.  him,  otherwise 
1.10  will  never  become  an  artist  in  his  profession, 
^riiis  bull-dog  tenacity  gives  him  the  nerve  to  hang 
on  like  grim  death,  figuratively  speaking;  this  holds 
good  physically,  mentally  and  financially,  for  he 
plods  and  plods  making  money  for  someone  else  as 
well  as  for  himself,  and  his  progney  will  help  to 
keep  up  the  high  standard  of  American  citizenship 
in  the  future.  Therefore,  does  not  the  foregoing 
con^nlnce  you  of  the  truth  of  the  assertion  that  a 
human  being  given  a  chance  will  not  abuse  his 
^opportunity  in  the  majority  of  instances? 

Bag  pardon,  dear  reader,  for  running  after  other 
rime  than  the  squirrel.  You  were  in  the  southern 
part  of  Qaivira  at  the  opening  of  this  chapter, 
xind  the  nut  eater  has  been  lost  sight  of  in  an  at- 
tempt to  convince  you  of  the  necessity  of  giving  a 
poor  devil  a  show  to  make  something  of  himself. 
But  we  are  now  at  the  bank  of  the  Saint  Peter  and 
Paul's  east  of  Great  Bend.  We  are  told  by  those 
who  have  made  a  study  of  the  tribes  inhabiting  the 
-country  bordering  the  Arkansas  at  earliest  history, 
that  the  "Padoucas"  over-ran  the  territory  in  what  is 
known  as  Western  Kansas.    This  name  is  what  the 


KANSAS  THE  DESERT  (?).  123 

Kansas,  Osage  and  Pawnees  called  the  tribe,  and  the 
authorities  state  that  as  late  as  1805  the  North  Platte 
was  still  known  as  Padouca  Pork,  and  they  further 
say,  that  these  were  a  branch  of  the  Comanches.  So 
at  the  date  of  our  story  there  were  five  distinct  na- 
tions or  tribes  of  people  in  and  adjoining  Kansas;  this 
includes  the  Missouris.  It  was  the  French  who 
changed  the  name  into  Kaw;  there  never  was  a  tribe 
of  that  name,  but  this  was  the  French  for  Kansas. 

It  has  been  recited  heretofore  what  Coronado's 
opinion  was  of  the  newly  discovered  country.  Just 
compare  his  views  with  ''The  Great  American 
Desert,"  as  it  was  designated  in  old  geographies 
sixty  years  ago.  Lieutenant  Pike  reported  to  the 
Government  after  his  going  through  the  country: 
*'A  terrestrial  paradise  for  Indians".  *'A  vast  tract 
of  untimbered  country  which  lies  between  the 
waters  of  the  Missouri,  Mississippi  and  the  Western 
Ocean,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  to  forty 
degrees  north  latitude",  (which  is  the  north  line  of 
Kansas).     -     ^ 


TENTH. 

In  the  year  fifteen  forty -one 
The  prairies  of  Kansas  begun. 
And  no  place  under  the  sun 
Excels  her  for  freedom  won. 

Twas  the  west,  now  the  best; 
Her  soil,  Oil,  Stand  (ard),  the  test. 
If  you  wish  to  know  the  rest 
Come,  and  God  you  will  bless. 


HE  CARAVAN  was  in  Ihe  last 
stage  of  exhaustion  when  h  arrived 
at  the  valley  of  the  Arkansas,  not  so 
much  on  account  of  the  lack  of  food 
as  because  of  the  eternal  track- 
less plain,  and  the  constant  travel 
which  became  very  monotonous,  and  the  non  discovery 
of  anything  worth  while.  Being  from  home  so  long 
a  time  it  appeared  to  the  men  that  it  was  a  hopeless 
undertaking.  When  an  individual  or  expedition 
arrives  at  such  a  condition  of  mind,  then  God  help 
them,  for  they  cannot  help  themselves.  So  several 
days  before  arriving  at  the  river,  whispered  consul- 
tations were  frequently  held,  the  burden  of  which 
was  i^rincipally  to  express  doubt  about  the  veracity 


FAITHFUL.  INDIAN  GUIDE.  125 

of  Turk's  account  of  the  populous  cities  of  Quivira. 
Ysopete  had  frequently  told  Coronado,  but  more 
imrticularly,  Alonso  and  Monte,  that  Turk  was  de- 
ceiving them.  Mind  you,  both  these  guides  had  lost 
their  bearings,  especially  Turk;  but  on  reaching  the 
river,  Ysopete  recognized  it  and  became  so  emphatic 
that  he  informed  his  two  friends  that  he  was  certain 
of  his  knowing  where  they  were  and,  that  instead  of 
going  north,  they  must  go  northeast;  so  he  was 
escorted  to  the  general  and  when  confronted  by  him, 
Ysopete  prostrated  himself  on  the  ground  and  mo- 
tioned that  his  head  could  be  cut  off  if  he  was  not  tell- 
ing the  truth.  Then  Alonso  explained  to  Coronado 
how  for  a  long  time  Ysopete  had  informed  him  of  the 
bad  faith  of  Turk  who  was  only  trying  to  destroy  the 
Spaniards  so  as  to  rid  the  country  of  them;  this  being 
done  at  the  suggestion  and  command  of  the  chiefs  of 
Cibola  and  particularly  those  of  Cicuye. 

For  several  days  our  party  rested,  and  in  the 
meantime  a  consultation  of  officers  was  held  to  dis- 
cuss the  situation.  It  was  concluded  that  the  general 
should  select  thirty  of  his  best  horsemen  and  a  few  of 
the  most  hardy  foot-soldiers  for  the  purpose  of  con- 
tinuing towards  the  cities  told  of  by  Turk.  After 
this  conclusion  was  arrived  at  the  main  part  of  the 
army  was  to  retrace  its  steps  towards  Tiguex,  there 
to  remain  until  the  return  of  the  party  of  forlorn 
hope.  It  was  not  without  many  i)rotests  from  those 
not  selected  to  continue  the  journey,  as  they  did  not 
wish  Coronado  to  leave  them,  they  litivirig  implicit 
faith  in  his  ability  to  lead  them  out  of  the  wilderness 
and  were  dubious  of  their  fate  at  the  hands  of  namer- 


12G  KANSAS   NATURAL  VEGETAELiri 

ous  enemies  through  whose  territory  Ll.-L'y  "l.ac!  come. 
But  the  ultimatum  of  the  commander  an  J  his  advis- 
ers prevailed,  so  the  question  of  precedent  arose  as 
to  who  were  to  accompany  the  party,  and  so  patent 
was  the  fitness  of  Lieutenant  Perez  that  he  v/as  one  of 
the  first  designated.  Of  course,  he  insisted  on  his 
servant  being  permitted  to  remain  with  him,  to  which 
no  one  could  object,  for  Monte's  mule  was  tlie  best 
fitted  for  the  trip,  it  being  in  better  condition  tlian 
any  other  of  the  pack  animals. 

And  now  began  preparations  for  the  departure — 
one  towards  home,  the  other,  God  then  only  knew. 
Quite  a  time  was  taken  to  rest  up  v/hile  camped  on 
the  beautiful  bottoms  adjoining  the  river.  In  the 
meantime  hunting  and  fishing  were  resorted  to  so  as 
to  recuperate  the  men,  and  the  animals  were  permit- 
ted to  browse  on  the  ideal  pasture;  so  that  when  the 
time  arrived  for  each  party  to  start  on  its  journey, 
they  were  in  the  best  condition  they  had  been  in  for 
some  time.  As  you  know,  it  was  beautiful  summer; 
vegetation  was  at  its  best;  there  were  many  natural 
plants  which  Ysopete  taught  the  use  of,  and  he  made 
it  a  point  to  help  Monte  keep  in  reserve  some  corn  to 
grind  for  meal.  This  knowledge  by  Ysopete  had 
been  known  to  Alonso  and  Monte  for  many  weeks 
and  was  the  reason  for  their  being  in  such  good  con- 
dition physically,  for  their  Indian  friend  had  every 
day  seen  to  it  that  they  had  native  vegetables;  he 
gathering  them  himself  and  assisting  Monte  in  cook- 
ing them.  Hence  the  meat  of  the  buffalo  and  deer 
did  not  become  obnoxious  to  our  three  fast  friends;  in 
fact,  they  were  in  prime  condition.    To  the  uniniti- 


.       •  TIIIPtTY   HORSEMEN  SELECTED.  -    127 

atocl  lb  may  appear  strange  that  these  three  were  the 
only  ones  v/ho  knew  enough  to  take  care  of  them- 
selves, but  if  you  were  ever  a  member  of  a  regiment 
en  the  march,  you  will  easily  comprehend  how  nat- 
ural some  men  keep  buoyant  in  spirits,  as  well 
as  healthy  of  body,  while  others  are  always  reported 
as  ''sick,"  not  falling  in  at  roll-call  or  answering 
to  their  names.  Another  query  will  arise  in  your 
minds:  How  came  it  that  all  the  folks  did  not  follow 
the  example  of  our  three  characters  and  gather  green 
stuff?  Well,  the  reply  is:  It  is  impossible  to  teach 
1500  men  in  a  few  weeks,  and  in  fact,  most  of  the 
party  were  afraid  they  would  be  poisoned  if  they  par- 
took of  the  stuff;  but  Ysopete  had  early  demonstrated 
to  Alonso  by  example  the  blessing  of  nature's  food, 
and  when  they  were  in  camp  preparatory  to  the  divi- 
sion of  the  force,  Alonso  saw  to  it  that  all  should  take 
advantage  of  his  experience.  The  next  question 
which  is  naturally  propounded  is:  What  are  the 
various  plants?  There  are  a  great  many  known  to 
experts  who  resort  to  their  use  by  reason  of  neces- 
sity, but  only  a  few  can  be  named  here:  Lambs' 
quarter  if  gathered  tender,  resembles  turnip  tops, 
which  in  Europe  is  eaten  by  poor  people,  it  being  a 
cheap  vegetable;  mushrooms  were  also  plenty;  and 
then  there  was  on  the  prairie  sour  dock,  wild  mustard, 
plantain,  and  wild  onions.  The  only  difference  between 
these  onions  and  cultivated  ones  is  that  the  natural 
product  is  much  stronger  than  that  grown  in  the 
Mtchen  garden.  Early  housewives  of  Kansas  can  tell 
you  of  the  trouble  they  had  with  the  milk  of  the  cows 
which  would  persist  in  eating  the  wild  onions.     It  so 


128  THE  INDIAN   WHO  KNEW. 

effected  milk  it  was  the  same  as  if  the  onions  had 
been  boiled  in  it,  and  sometimes  it  was  so  pronounced 
that  the  milk  was  spoiled  for  making  butter.  Again, 
these  same  pioneer  women  of  Kansas  can  give  you  a 
receipt  for  making  a  delicious  pie  from  a  plant  which 
was  cheap  and  plenty,  only  requiring  to  be  gathered. 
This  is  called  sheep  sorrel.  It  has  the  same  qualities 
as  the  pie-plant,  and  when  properly  "fixed"  makes  as 
good  eating  as  gooseberries,  currants  or  rhubarb. 
And  last,  but  more  important,  Ysopete  knew  the  little 
isolated  nooks  in  the  ravines,  where  he  found  wild 
strawberries,  and  even  gooseberries  on  reaching 
Quivira.  But  one  secret  Ysopete  did  not  impart  to 
other  than  his  friends,  was  that  at  every  oppor- 
tunity, wherever  he  came  across  an  elm  or  other  tree 
he  knew  of,  he  would  strip  some  bark  and  pound  it 
into  a  pulp  between  two  stones,  which  the  natives 
carried  to  grind  their  corn,  making  a  delicious  paste 
like  cream,  except  not  as  white.  A  small  amount  of 
this  had  a  soothing  effect  upon  the  stomach;  counter- 
acting the  bad  effect  of  two  much  wild  meat.  These 
native  secrets  used  by  our  Indian  were  numerous 
and  only  a  part  of  them  are  recorded  here. 

The  smaller  party  departed  first  after  mature 
deliberation  with  Ysopete,  who  recited  to  Alonso 
every  incident  of  his  capture  and  travel  over  the 
country  on  his  way  to  captivity.  From  what  he 
stated,  it  was  concluded  to  take  a  direction  northeast 
to  the  settlements.  But  poor  Turk  was  in  disgrace, 
for  he  had  half  acknowledged  that  the  populous  and 
large  cities  he  had  told  them  about  were  only  villages; 
so  from  the  Arkansas  he  was  treated  as  a  prisoner. 


HEALTHY   KANSAS.  129 

-^  Alonso  and  Monte,  as  well  as  Ysopete,  are  happy; 
the  first  because  he  felt  there  was  to  be  adventure; 
the  second  for  the  reason  that  he  was  to  see  new 
peoples,  and  ha.ve  still  the  company  of  his  master. 
Alonso's  spirits  were  exceptionally  buoyant,  as  the 
j^eneral  had  with  much  tact  and  good  judgment, 
appointed  him  second  in  command,  a  position  he  was 
well  qualified  to  fill.  Owing  to  his  knowledge  of  the 
np.tural  advantages  of  the  prairie  as  imparted  to  him 
by  Ysopete,  he  was  able  to  put  his  men  in  the  way  of 
procuring  comforts  which  helped  them  to  withstand 
the  hardships;  in  fact,  every  day  they  wore  getting 
more  rugged  and  hardy.  This  was  not  altogether 
because  of  the  better  rations.  The  climate  was  and 
is,  the  most  healthful  on  God's  footstool. 

Mr.  Plainsman,  this  is  addressed  to  you.  Do 
you  remember  Nature's  bed  which  never  required 
making,  except  to  scoop  out  a  hole  for  your  hip  to 
fit  in?  You  wrapped  yourself  up  in  your  blanket, 
using  your  saddle  for  a  pillow;  and  won't  you  assent 
to  the  assertion  that  it  was  the  largest  bed  in  the 
most  spacious  room  and  the  best  ventilated  ever  occu- 
pied by  you,  and  was  not  the  sleep  the  purest,  sweet- 
est, most  glorious  of  your  life?  Notwithstanding 
you  were  aware  of  your  being  many  miles  from  a 
human  habitation,  yet  what  did  you  care?  Did  you 
not  feel  capable  of  taking  care  of  yourself,  fearing  no 
man  and  nothing;  and  was  not  your  horse  the  only- 
cause  for  anxiety,  lest  it  trick  you  by  many  of  its 
* 'might-happenings"  and  thus  stray  away  to  its  old 
stomping  ground,  leaving  you  to  hoof  it  over  hill  and 
dale  the  next  day;  and  is  it  not  a  fact  that  all  you; 


130  HOW   HORSES    WERE   PICKETED. 

worried  about  was  that  your  horse  should  be  rested 
and  ready  for  the  next  day's  ride? 

Say,  Cap.,  do  you  think  the  present  generation  of 
tenderfeet  have  the  slightest  conception  of  what  was 
resorted  to  for  the  purpose  of  making  sure  of  our 
horse  early  next  morning?  Don't  you  believe  it 
would  be  a  good  idea  to  put  into  print  some  of  the 
numerous  ways  by  which  you  tried  to  keep  him  from 
going  back  home  or  making  for  the  herd?  Surely  it 
will  become  a  lost  art.  Well;  here  goes!  Some  men 
carried  a  rope  from  forty  to  one  hundred  feet  long 
which  was  tied  to  the  saddle;  it  was  attached  to  a 
pickct-pm,  sometimes  of  iron,  but  usually  of  wood; 
the  pin  was  driven  into  the  ground.  Some  horses  did 
best  by  having  the  rope  around  their  necks  but  some 
would  g*it  so  foxy  that  they  learned  to  either  break 
the  rope  or  pull  the  pin,  so  the  next  thing  was  to  tie 
tlic  rope  around  their  near  front  foot  at  the  fetlock; 
thus  picketed  they  would  hurt  their  leg  or  fetlock  if 
they  .ierkcd  too  hard;  but  there  were  nags  that  would 
succeed  in  pulling  the  pin  when  thus  lariated,  An- 
other method  was  to  hobble  them — that  means  to  tie 
both  fore  feet  together  so  they  could  not  walk,  trot  or 
run;  but  it  was  laughable  to  see  some  horses  dodging 
the  person  who  was  trying  to  catch  them  on  the 
range.  At  times  some  fool  (?)  horses  would  take  a 
streak  and  show  how  smart  they  were.  They  would 
rise  up  on  their  hind  legs  and  spring  forward  at  so 
rapid  a  pace  that  it  would  require  another  horse  to 
run  them  down,  but  when  a  pony  got  to  doing  this, 
then  man's  Injun  would  have  to  come  in  play.  Then 
a  piece  oi  rope  wi^  a  block  of  wood  attached  thereto 


,  CREASING  OP   HOUSED.  loi      ' 

would  be  tied  to  the  front  foot,  the  chunk  ^.voiitJ  only 
reach  back  toward  the  hind  feet,  so  Mr.  horse  will  step 
on  the  rope  or  block  and  either  hurt  his  leg  or  per- 
haps throw  him;  but  a  later  scheme  was  to  get  a 
strap  with  a  ring  and  a  piece  of  chain  three  or  four 
feet  long,  the  strap  being  buckled  around  one  of  the 
fore  feet,  so  that  if  the  animal  attempted  to  trot  or 
run  the  chain  would  lap  around  his  fore  legs  and 
throw  him. 

And  did  you  ever  nave  any  experience  in  "creas- 
ing''? Wasn't  it  a  picnic  to  watch  a  nag  after  being 
creased?  Well,  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  don't 
know  the  meaning  of  the  term,  it  is  here  explained: 
All  over  Texas,  Colorado  and  Kansas  there  were 
herds  of  wild  horses  running  on  the  range,  and  some- 
times a  man  would  be  desirous  of  procuring  one  for 
immediate  use;  so  he  would  sneak  up  as  close  as  pos- 
sible to  the  herd  and  select  the  one  desired;  then  a 
bead  would  be  taken  at  the  nape  of  the  neck  half-way 
between  the  ears  and  weathers,  then  **ping"  would 
sound  the  man's  rifle  and  a  ball  would  be  put  into  the 
gristle  of  the  neck.  This  would  stun  the  horse  and 
cause  him  to  fall  and  become  unconscious  for  suffi- 
cient length  of  time  to  allow  the  party  to  hobble  and 
rope  the  animal  before  it  came  to.  No  doubt  the 
wound  would  be  painful,  but  it  did  not  hurt  the  ani- 
mal for  use,  and  soon  healed  up.  But  what  about 
sleeping  outdoors  367  years  ago  in  the  province  of 
Quivira?  Well,  if  it  were  as  delightful  as  doing  so 
forty  years  ago,  then  it  was  a  bedroom  in  heaven;  and 
after  sleeping  thus  for  a  few  weeks,  then  to  be  com- 
pelled to  occupy  the  average  bed  in  the  average  house 


132  BUFFALO  CHIPS. 

would  be  hades.    Ain't  that  right,  pard?   '*You  bet- 
your  boots." 

Alonso  was  deputed  by  the  commander  to  head 
the  usual  reconnoitering  party  to  proceed  in  advance 
to  guard  against  ambuscades,  although  owing  to  the 
nature  of  the  country,  it  was  almost  impossible  for  a 
human  being  to  hide,  but  it  was  the  rule  of  armies  to 
send  out  scouts  to  report  danger  ahead.  The 
principal  thing  done  by  the  advance  guard  was  to 
follow  the  guide,  Ysopete,  who  would  indicate  the 
direction  at  every  mile,  gathering  **buffalo  chips'g 
into  a  pile  as  well  as  bleached  bones  and  antlers  of 
elk  and  deer  so  the  main  body  could  foUow  without 
obstruction  or  doubt.  Thus  it  was  kept  up  day  after 
day,  as  the  party  proceeded;  the  streams  becoming 
larger  and  more  frequent;  good  timber  skirting  the 
water  courses.  To  those  who  have  lived  on  the 
prairie  it  may  appear  foolish  to  waste  time  on  buffalo 
chips,  but  although  the  dweller  of  the  plains  may 
know  all  about  this  common  stuff,  yet  like  tethering, 
it  will  become  in  the  near  future  a  legend.  Coronado 
recorded  that  the  party  were  compelled  to  use  "dry 
co^;^  dung"  to  cook  their  food.  This  will  strike  the 
fastidious  unpleasantly;  but  don't  pass  final  judgment 
until  an  explanation  is  given.  It  must  first  be 
understood  that  the  bison  fed  on  grass  named  after 
themselves,  buffalo  grass.  This  does  not  grow  over 
four  inches  high.  The  droppings  from  this  feed  is 
different  from  that  of  a  cow  or  steer  fed  on  prairie, 
blue  stem,  timothy,  red  top,  alfalfa  or  any  other 
pasture;  a  reason  cannot  be  given  for  the  difference, 
except  that  the  buffalo  grass  is  more  woody  and  hence 
the    chips"  are  more  solid.    But  it  can  be  asserted 


CT[IPS"  USED  FOR  FUEL.  ^        183 

.without  fear  of   contradiction  that  in  the  wes^rn^ 
'  counties  of  Kansas  where  they  still  have  the  buffelo 
grass,  the  farmers  are  using  this  material  for  fuel^,, 
and  where  the  cattle  pasture  on  this  grass,  their'; 
"chips"  when  permitted  to  dry  in  the  sun  make  the' 
very  hottest  of  fires;  right  now  the  women  folks  and 
children  will  go  to  the  places  where  cattle  are  kept 
and  turn  up  on  edge  chips  for  fuel.    This  is  done  by 
placing  two  chix>s  together  is  this  form — **A" — which 
is  about  the  same  as  hacking  bricks  in  a  brick-yard. 
By  this  method  the  sun  and  wind  soon  absorb  every  ^ 
particle  of  moisture;  then  it  is  fit  for  use  and  the  men 
folks  haul  them  home.     Mind  you,  this  material  gets, 
as  hard  as  coal  when  thoroughly  dry.     The  grinding 
mill  of  the  buffalo  may  have  been  different  from  the 
modern  cow  or  steer,  but  it  would  require  an  analyti- 
cal chemist  to  discern  the  difference  in  the  chip  of  a' 
buffalo  and  that  of  a  domesticated  animal.     In  the 
spring  of  1907  many  fuel  piles  were  seen  in  Ellis  and 
Trego  counties.     You  put  clean  wood  into  the  stove 
to  cook  with,  but  others  use  dirty  coal  which  if  taken:* 
into  your  hand  will  leave  a  smudge,  whereas  **chips'' 
are  as  clean  as  clean  can  be,  and  the  meal  cooked  with 
it  is  just  as  relishable  as  that  cooked  by  steam  on 
some  of  the  ocean  liners,  and  much  more  so;  for  if 
there  is  anything  that  is    nauseating  it  is    steam- 
cooked  victuals,  even  hogs  don't  like  such  cooking. 
But  the  buffalo  grass  is  fast  being  superseded  by.  the 
civilized  vegetation  which  seems  to  follow  in  the  wake 
of  the  settlement  of  a  new  country.    You  may  think 
cow  manure  an  awful  nasty  thing  to  have  around  the 
kitchen  but  here  is  something  few  persons  know  about. 


184  »,, . 


RUSSIAN      MIST/ 


The  Russian-Germans  of  the  western  coiinti^?;  of 
Kansas  inaugurated  a  new  fuel  which  they  call 
"mist**.  During?  the  winter  when  stock  consisting 
of  horses  and  cattle  are  fed  in  a  corrall,the  feed  is 
allowed  to  pile  up  under  their  feet,  the  Russian 
farmer  will  haul  wheat  straw,  cornstalks,  weeds  or 
hay  into  the  lot  and  throw  water  upon  it,  all  the 
while  the  animals  remain  thereon,  and  the  more 
droppings  the  better  the  mist.  Tliis  procedure  is 
continued  during  the  winter  months.  Then  after  the 
stock  is  let  out  on  the  spring  pasture,  it  is  allowed  to 
)  settle  so  as  to  become  a  solid  mass  like  a  silo;  then  in 
|the  summer  a  spade  will  be  taken  to  cut  the  stuff  up 
into  bricks  which  are  hacked  up  to  dry,  as  in  the  case 
with  the  buffalo  chips  afore  mentioned,  when  it  is 
ready  for  fuel.  It  is  much  stronger  (not  in  aromati- 
zation,  but  in  heat-giving  qualities),  than  coal  or  wood. 
It  is  in  common  use,  as  many  racks  of  it  were  seen  in 
the  spring  of  1907.  Is  there  any  wonder  that  the 
prairies  of  Kansas  are  so  productive,  when  it  is 
understood  that  the  buffalo  roamed  over  the  prairies 
for  hundreds  of  years,  fertilizing  the  soil  for  ages 
preparatory  to  putting  in  the  crops? 

But  before  leaving  the  buffalo  it  will  be  well  to 
speak  of  their  bones  left  on  the  prairies.  Years  ago, 
the  western  homesteader  was  able  to  exist  when  his 
crop  failed,  by  gathering  up  bones,  horns,  and  hoofs 
of  this  native  of  the  plains,  and  thousands  of  car 
loads  were  transported  out  of  the  state. 

Some  conception  of  the  immense  numbers  of 
them  could  be  had  if  the  prairies  were  once  seen,  for 
to  this  day  the  soil  is  full  of  buffalo  holes  which 


INDIANS  AT  A  DISTANCE.  135 

signifies  depressions  in  the  land  of  from  one  inch  to 
twenty-four  inches  where  the  animals  pavv^d  up  the 
soil,  then  laid  down  in  it  to  wallow.  After  a  rain, 
these  holes  would  hold  water.  It  was  Paradise  for 
a  buffalo  to  get  the  mud  plastered  all  over  its  body  so 
as  to  clean  itself  as  weU  as  to  keep  off  the  flies  in 
the  summer.  These  wallowing  places  are  on  an 
average  one  to  every  square  rod  and  are  ten  or 
twelve  feet  in  circumference.  Again  along  the 
streams  the  creature  was  very  prone  to  make  these 
holes  on  a  large  scale,  and  boys  now  use  them  to 
swim  in. 

It  is  the  third  day  after  leaving  the  Arkansas  river 
that  our  thirty-six  heroes  with  their  retainers  are 
nearing  the  place  selected  by  the  adviace  guard  for 
the  camping  ground  for  the  ni^ht.  Tiie  sun  is  about 
an  hour  high,  when  aU  at  once  the  trained,  keen 
Indian  eyes  of  Ysopete  observe  a  party  of  his  coun- 
trymen at  a  distance  of  about  a  mile.  Immediately 
Alonso's  notice  is  directed  to  the  sight,  and  now  the 
brain  of  the  lieutenant  is  whirling  like  a  dynamo.  He 
must  get  word  to  the  general  who  can  be  seen  ap- 
proaching a  short  distance  back;  then  the  next, 
thought  is  to  guard  against  surprise.  A  horsemani 
is  dispatched  to  notify  the  main  party  to  come  up  at 
once,  then  Alonso  begins  to  examine  the  lay  of  the, 
land  to  select  a  position  better  fitted  for  defence  than 
that  which  they  had  already  prepared  for  the 
reception  of  the  main  party.  Our  younK  »oldier 
knew  the  advantage  of  a  fan>rable  locatkm  in  case  of 
attack,  fiK)  Babieca  was  urged  »i  top  upMd  to  examine 
tbe  ground,  and  Mon  a  {Ktot  wm  tewtod  «»  a  wkm 


136         PREPARING  FOR  BATTLE. 

which  adjoins  streams.  All  was  bnstlo  n^nd  f^To<!::C- 
ment,  but  he  who  was  most  excited  was  Ysopete. 
He  could  plainly  see  that  they  were  his  own  Ivind  of 
people.  He  wished  to  tallc  with  them  and  ran  towards 
them  shoutin^^  in  their  own  tongue  and  making  the 
fiigns  of  friendship  used  by  his  people;  but  after 
watching  him  for  a  while,  not  being  able  to  compre- 
hend such  a  sight  as  they  saw,  they  were  dazed  with 
wonder.  They  had  seen  the  party  for  some  time,  and 
mind  you,  an  Indian  can  see  farther  than  a  white 
man.  ^The  sight  was  such  as  neither  themselves  nor 
their  ancestors  had  ever  witnessed  before.  Were  it 
possible  to  put  into  print  all  they  thought  it  would  be 
literature  and  sentences  never  conceived  before.  The 
wonderful  and  incomprehensible  humans  having 
great  big  bodies  gUttering  in  the  sun  must  be  gods, 
or  spirits;  they  cannot  be  real.  They  see  Alonso 
riding  at  a  fast  gallop  and  the  soldier  running  at  rac- 
ing pace  toward  Coronado,  to  inform  him  of  the  pres- 
ence of  the  natives.  If  you  could  have  slipped  into 
their  company  you  would  have  heard  exclamations  of 
wonderment.  Ysopete  was  running  towards  them 
but  they  could  not  understand  his  shouts,  and  in  fact 
they  did  not  remain  for  him  to  get  near  enough  to 
make  them  understand.  Being  so  excited,  they 
turned  about  and  ran  with  aU  their  might  toward 
home,  which  was  some  thirty  miles,  located  near 
Council  Grove,  Morris  County.  They  did  not  stop 
until  they  reached  their  chief,  whom  they  informed 
of  the  wonderful  sight  they  had  seen. 

You  can  imagine  the  bustle  and  excitement  in 
camp  that  flight;  all  Were  on  the  qili  vive,  not  knowing 


CAMPED  IN  DICKINSON  COUNTY.  137 

t)ut  that  any  moment  they  might  be  attacked.  There 
was  not  much  sleep  had  by  the  majority,  but  all 
quieted  down  so  that  they  began  to  converse  on  var- 
ious topics. 

If  you  look  at  the  map  of  Dickinson  County  you 
will  observe  a  stream  in  the  southwest  corner  named 
Holland  Creek.  Here  is  where  our  party  camped, 
and  due  east  of  here  is  Council  Grove,  where  our 
scared  natives  belonged.  How  long  this  place  has 
held  that  name  is  not  known,  but  if  like  Council 
Bluffs,  Iowa,  on  the  Missouri  river,  it  is  away  back; 
the  very  word  Council  indicates  its  Indian  ori^orin, 
although  mind  you,  the  history  of  Morris  County 
claims  that  the  name  was  derived  from  the  fact  that 
there  was  a  beautiful  grove  there  in  1847  when  the 
first  trading  post  was  established  on  the  Santa  Fe 
trail  at  this  point,  and  here  the  parties  of  freighters 
would  meet  preparatory  to  going  farther  and  council 
as  to  their  plans.  This  may  be  correct;  but  when  the 
natural  advantages  surrounding  the  place  are  taken 
into  consideration,  it  constrains  one  to  attribute  the 
name  to  Indian  origin.  As  early  as  1825  the  Govern- 
ment by  treaty  obtained  the  Santa  Fe  trail  and  got 
permission  of  the  Kansas  Indians  to  have  the  road  or 
trail  to  pass  through  their  reservation  which  included 
Morris  County;  and  to  this  day  the  main  street  of  the 
city  of  Council  Grove  is  the  Santa  Fe  trail  as  plotted 
by  the  United  States  engineers.  Again  history 
states.  ''Until  1847  the  territory  now  embraced  in 
Morris  County  was  held  by  various  Indian  tribes  as 
neutral  ground  and  the  wooded  belts  along  the  Neo- 
sho and  its    tributaries    formed  exceUent  hunting 


138  SAN^i^A  :r::  TriA::.. 

■.fields.''  Is  iu  not  sbraaf^e  tliat  tlio  nTni-^  "^^n^V.^  v^ 
a,dmitted  to  be  the  name  of  a  river  known  in  id^^o 
when  Clark  visited  it?  Clark  Creek  is  to  commemo- 
rate his  visit.  Also  in  1846,  Fremont  was  there. 
How  appropriate  is  the  name  "Ne-o-sho,"  or  "stream 
with  water  in  it.''  History  tells  of  the  beautiful 
springs  which  abound;  and  there  is  a  prominent  look- 
out place  near  by  which  made  an  ideal  spot  to  watch 
for  herds  of  wild  game  or  enemies.  The  same  work 
cited  here  tells  of  Rock  Creek,  formerly  being  named 
**Ne-oo-its-ah-ba,"  which  means  *'Dead  Man's 
Creek."  This  name  was  given  to  it  by  the  Indians  on 
account  of  the  terrible  slaughter  that  once  took  place 
upon  its  banks  between  the  two  tribes  of  hostile 
Indians;  so  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  conjecture  that 
the  natives  seen  were  a  hunting  party. 

It  may  seem  slow  progress  on  the  part  ot-o;ir 
explorers,  but  twenty  miles  a  day  is  not  a  bad  pace, 
all  things  considered.  Of  course  it  is  easy  to  ride  a 
horse  sixty  miles  a  day  and  the  same  horse  can  keep 
it  up  many  days;  but  he  must  have  grain,  and  3^ou 
should  remember  that  ouv  party  had  provisions  with 
them,  presents  for  the  kin:^  and  liis  lords,  and  many 
other  articles,  so  their  beasts  of  burden  could  only 
walk.  They  lived,  too,  on  the  grass  without  grain, 
and  had  to  be  given  time  to  feed  during  the  day  as 
weU  as  through  the  night;  of  course,  a  horse  without 
grain  soon  becomes  weak  and  has  very  little  endur- 
ance; so  considering  everything,  that  was  a  good  gait. 
Then  again,  remember  the  steps  were  counted  and 
recorded  with  great  care  to  make  their  reckoning  of 
distance  traveled.     This  was  the  scientific  part  of  ^.he 


IN  A  BEAUTIFUL.  CX)UNTRY.  139 

expedition.     And,  another  thing,  the  army  must  feel 
its  way  and  not  rush  in  where  angels  fear  to  tread. 

Notwithstanding  the  little  flurry,  the  men  of  the 
expedition  were  in  the  best  of  spirits;  in  fact  they 
felt  more  buoyant  than  for  some  time,  as  the  episode 
of  the  evening  had  given  zest  to  the  day's  monotony. 
They  were  on  the  alert;  but  after  supper  on  that  ideal 
July  evening  the  three  leaders,  Coronado,  Perez,  and 
Jaramillo  were  reclining  on  the  sward,  and  comment- 
ing on  the  Indian  incident,  wondering  what  would  be 
the  result;  planning  their  course  should  they  be 
attacked.  They  were  a  unit  regarding  the  country, 
the  best  seen  so  far,  fully  as  good  as  described  by 
Ysopete;  and  they  all  concluded  that  the  big  river 
told  of  by  him  must  be  a  reality.  '^  They  assumed 
there  was  soon  to  be  a  change  of  experience  and  that 
they  would  soon  get  to  a  more  settled  country.  Then 
they  talked  of  the  quantity  of  game  they  had  seen 
during  the  three  days  since  leaving  the  river  St. 
Peter  and  Paul's,  of  the  possibilities  of  the  country, 
how  soon  they  would  meet  more  Indians,  etc. 

^  While  they  were  thus  conversing,  the  wolves 
were  howling  and  barking.  They  were  in  droves,  for 
was  it  not  a  wolves  paradise?  They  never  lacked  food, 
for  there  were  such  immense  numbers  of  buffaloes 
and  other  game,  that  there  were  always  old,  sick  or 
young  which  could  be  harassed,  and  these  dogs  of 
prey  were  pretty  cunning;  if  they  did  not  see  or 
smeU  a  carcass,  all  they  had  to  do  was  to  examine  the 
horizon  and  watch  for  a  buzzard,  eagle  or  hawk  hover- 
ing over,  which  invariably  indicated  a  dead  animal  or 
one  ready  to  give  up.     It  may  seem  incredible,  but  it 


140  L.A  SUBTILE  CX)YOTE. 

is  a  fact  that  now  it  is  the  habit  of  the  coyote,  (prairie 
wolves),  to  sneak  around  where  a  buzzard,  eagle  or 
hawk  is  perched  upon  a  fence-post,  limb  or  hedge, 
and  just  as  soon  as  a  bird  swoops  down  on  a  rabbit, 
or  bird  of  any  kind  "la  subtUe  coyote''  will  spring 
upon  the  bird  of  prey  and  take  whatever  it  may 
have  discovered  and  captured.  Coronado  states  that 
the  coyotes  were  very  numerous  and  called  them 
white,  but  his  * 'white"  must  have  been  cream  color, 
for  that  is  nearer  it.  Of  course,  the  color  of  their 
hair  may  have  been  changed  in  367  years,  for  that  is 
a  long  time.  Has  not  the  Negro  changed  from  black 
to  nearly  white  in  only  225  years,  since  Sir  John 
Hawkins  brought  the  first  cargo  of  them  to  America? 
By  the  by,  Negro  is  a  Spanish  name  and  means  black 
and  * 'Niger "  is  Latin,  also  signifying  black. 

While  the  three  were  chatting  upon  various  mat- 
ters relating  to  their  command,  Coronado  changed 
the  trend  of  conversation  by  asking  the  others  if  they 
could  remember  in  history  any  expedition  which 
resembled  theirs.  "  Wh;/  Moses  and  the  Children  of 
Israel  were  in  the  wilderness  for  forty  years,  so 
ours  don't  anaoiml  to  p.Pxythlng  in  comparison,"  spoke 
up  Jaramillo,  who  had  education  sufficient  to  keep  a 
record  of  the  expedition,  but  was  not  a  college  bred 
man  like  the  other  two.  He  naturally  thought  if  the 
Israelites  were  forty  years  going  through  the  wild- 
erness it  must  have  been  very  extensive  to  require  so 
long  a  time.  The  commander  explained  that  notwith- 
standing it  took  so  long,  yet  from  the  Nile  to  the  Red 
Sea  is  only  about  seventy -five  miles,  and  from  there 
to  the  Philistine  country  is  only  about  another  hun- 


INDIAN   MESSENGlCu..,  141 

dred,  so  that  cannot  be  considered.  Alonso  thought 
the  Crusades  from  England  in  the  11th  and  12th  cen- 
turies were  memorable,  as  the  route  covered  overland 
had  to  be  at  least  2,200  miles;  then  Coronado  suggest- 
ed the  trip  of  Alexander  the  Great  in  327  B.  C,  when 
he  went  from  Greece  to  conquer  India;  which  country- 
he  had  marched  over  to  a  considerable  extent. 

Nothing  happened  during  the  night,  and  next 
morning  the  party  continued  their  way*  Little  did 
they  realized  what  a  stir  they  were  arousing  near  at 
hand.  There  were  messengers  speeding  towards 
the  settlements  along  the  Kansas,  Republican, 
Smoky  Hill,  Solomon,  Blue,  Piatt,  Osage,  and  Mis- 
souri rivers.  The  aborigines  reported  the  presence 
of  the  magical  and  unknowable  troop,  but  could  not 
find  words  in  their  language  to  convey  to  others  what 
they  saw.  It  was  magic  to  them;  it  was  as  marvelous 
as  '^Pepper's  Ghost"  which  would  scare  the  bravest 
man  hving,  if  he  saw  the  exact  counterpart  of  some- 
one he  knew.  He  could  pass  a  sword  through  it,  fire 
at  it  with  a  cannon  with  no  effect;  it  would  be  only  a 
reflection  of  the  real  person,  thrown  upon  the  stage 
or  into  a  room  by  the  aid  of  mirrors  and  lime  light. 
Talk  about  ghosts,  this  invention  of  Professor  Pep- 
per is  a  wonderful  thing,  yet  very  few  persons  are 
cognizant  of  the  discovery,  although  it  was  exhibited 
all  ever  England  forty  years  ago. 

Our  party,  at  the  suggestion  of  Ysopete,  crossed 
Holland  Greek  early  in  the  morning  and  continued  on 
the  west  bank  nearly  due  north  until  they  reached 
the  mouth  ol  the  creek  where  it  empties  into  the 
Smoky  Hill  river.      Here  they  stopped,   careful  to 


142         WHY   JUNCTION  CITY  IS  SO   NAMED. 

select  a  favorably  located  encampment  in  case  of  a 
i^urprise,  for  the  party  frequently  saw  the  natives 
watching  them  from  a  distance  as  they  proceeded. 

Again  our  party  threw  out  pickets  and  the  men 
were  cautioned  to  be  on  the  alert,  to  have  their  horses 
ready  to  mount  at  a  moment's  notice,  as  well  as  to 
have  their  firearms  primed  ready  to  discharge  which 
the  small  party  relied  on  above  all  other  weapons  to 
repulse  an  attack.  But  all  was  well  on  the  Smoky 
which  was  crossed  the  first  thing  as  their  guides 
informed  them  that  the  large  city  was  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  stream.  The  cavalcade  avoided  meander- 
ing the  crooked  river  by  the  use  of  buffalo  chips  made 
into  mounds  along  the  valley  as  straight  as  the  crow 
flies.  This  made  the  day's  march  about  twenty-two 
miles  to  Junction  City,  named  thus  because  the  Re- 
publican river  here  empties  into  the  Smoky,  which 
from  this  point  is  rechristened  '^Kansas,"  just  as  the 
Missouri  changes  its  name  at  St.  Louis  into  **Missis- 
sippi."  On  arrivin/^  Pot  th9  confluence  of  the  Repub- 
lican our  party  has  made  another  twenty-two  miles 
and  the  evidences  are  becoming  stronger  of  settle- 
ments as  the  game  are  prone  to  scamper  at  their 
approach,  showing  that  they  were  hunted  more.    *=• 

The  party  had  made  good  time  by  reason  of  the 
path,  and  reached  camp  about  five  o'clock  in  the 
evening;  they,  as  usual,  had  selected  a  good  natural 
situation  in  case  of  surprise,  and  were  preparing 
supper,  vfhen  Ysopete  called  Alonso's  and  Monte's 
attention  to  the  fact  that  it  looked  like  rain;  so  the 
word  was  passed  around  camp  to  prepare  for  it.  It 
was  about  six  o'clock  when  it  commenced  to  rain. 


A  KANSAS  TORNADO.  143 

After  a  few  minutes  hail  stones  began  to  descend 
about  the  size  of  peas  and  as  large  as  hazel  nuts,  then 
the  stones  began  to  come  faster  and  larger,  until 
many  were  as  large  as  hen's  eggs.  And  now  the 
horses  became  frightened;  in  fact,  they  were  badly 
injured  by  the  frozen  chunks  of  ice  with  which  nature 
was  pelting  them.  Many  of  the  party  were  tattooed 
in  black  and  blue  as  a  memento  of  th«ir  experience. 
ThBn  the  shower  of  hail-stones  ceased,  and  there 
seemed  to  be  a  strange  ominous  stillness,  which  to 
the  inexperienced  had  no  significence,  but  it  caused 
Ysopete  to  be  on  the  alert,  and  he  became  intensely 
interested  in  the  clouds  and  horizon.  After  a  few 
moments  he  became  more  excited  than  when  he  saw 
his  countrymen  the  day  before.  He  could  smell  the 
danger  and  the  clouds  were  giving  the  signal  of  warn- 
ing he  had  seen  before.  The  Chief  of  all  Signal  Ser- 
vice displays  the  emblem  denoting  a  change  of 
weather.  These  signals  were  floating  clouds  in  the 
heavens  of  so  pronounced  a  character  that  all  the 
party  were  awed,  and  although  as  brave  as  the  brav- 
est, their  hearts  quaked.  Every  eye  was  intent  on 
the  peculiar-shaped  clouds.  Right  over  their  heads, 
a  little  to  the  south,  there  was  a  funnel-shaped  vap- 
ory cloud,  apparently  without  motion;  it  resembled 
an  immense  column  of  white  steam,  the  upper  part 
flaring  like  a  funnel,  tapering  and  becoming  smaller 
toward  the  earth.  This  seemed  to  be  stationary,  but 
of  course  it  was  not,  for  it  receded  before  the  mighty 
blast  which  w?is  two  or  three  miles  away,  toward  the 
soat.'iwest;  but  the  party  had  not  observed,  except  by 
natuLCvS    intuition,    that    something    was    about   to 


141         .     THE  LOUD  TEMPESTUOUS  ROAR. 

happen:    Tliere  was  a  sulphurona  smell  in  the  air, 
and  up  to  this  time  it  was  very  calm. 

Now  there  were  coming  from  the  southwest  little 
vapory  clouds  with  the  speed  of  lightning  toward  the 
funnel  and  were  absorbed  by  it.     This    wonderful 
traveling  of  clouds  continued  for  about  a  minute,  per- 
haps only  half  that  time,  for  under  such  circum- 
stances a  minute  is  an  hour.    And  now  the  ear  begins 
to  hear  a  strange  roaring  sound,  and  the  sulphurous 
fumes  are  more  pronounced.   Every  nerve  is  strained 
to  a  tension  known  only  to  those  who  have    gone 
through  the  ordeal.     Louder  and  louder  becomes  the 
awful  monster  tornado,  for  that  is  what  it  is,  and  now 
the  inky  colored  mass  is  coming  nearer  and  nearer, 
the  sound  resembles  that  made  in  the  forest  during  a 
storm,  only  many  times  louder;  this  black  cloud  is 
not  traveling  so  very  fast,  perhaps  forty  or  fifty  miles 
an  hour,  but  then  it  is  whirling,  and  woe  be  to  objects 
that  c;et  in  its  path.     It  has  reached  the  big  cotton- 
wood  trees  two  feet  through  which  it  twists  oiT  as  if 
they  were  reeds.  And  now  the  mighty  force  is  pass- 
in^^  our  party.     Some  have  instinctively  clutched  the 
grass,  the  only  thing  available.     Others  grasp  in  a 
grip  of  iron  what  ever  they  have  hold  of,  but  no  man 
really  knows  what  has  taken  place,  for  he  is  dazed  by 
the  awfulness  of  his  situation.     All  are  prostrate  on 
the  ground,  and  m  as  low  a  place  as  possible,  at  the 
suggestion  and  example  of  the  native  of  the  plains.  It 
is  lucky  they  were  able  to  secure  a  place  where  there 
v/as  ?u  depression  in  the  earth,  for  had  they  not,  in  all 
probability  they  would  have  been  drawn    into  the 
ini^'i.ry  iii.iclsoroin  of  wind,  which,  instead  of  being 


GOD  DEMONSTRATES   HIS   POWER.  145 

water  as  described  by  Edgar  Allen  Poe,  was  electric- 
ity, as  near  as  it  can  be  described.  Of  course  we 
cannot  comprehend  its  being  the  last  named,  so  we 
shall  have  to  call  it  common  wind.  The  cloud  which 
does  the  mischief  and  works  destruction  is  not  fun- 
nel-shaped, as  described  by  those  who  have  never 
seen  a  first-class  cyclone;  the  force  which  brings  the 
power  when  seen  coming  over  the  horizon  is  black  and 
of  no  particular  form.  There  are  kinds  of  prongs 
reaching  down  toward  the  earth,  but  which  change 
their  position  because  of  the  rotary  motion  of  the  vast 
electrical  motor,  which  generates  the  power  by  the 
rotary  motion  it  has  while  going  through  space.  Like 
a  generator  or  dynamo  in  an  electric  light  plant  it> 
will  knock  you  down  if  you  come  in  contact  with 
the  force. 

It  is  a  curious  sight  to  witness  the  havoc  done  by 
a  ^'twister. "  Whether  they  are  ever  right-handed  is  un- 
known, but  it  is  known  that  this  one  whirled  toward 
the  left,  (i.  e.,  although  the  general  direction  was  from 
the  southwest  toward  the  northeast),  yet  as  it  moved 
on  its  course,  it  continually  was  trying  to  screw  itself 
into  the  earth  upon  a  left-handed  thread,  as  it  were. 
To  make  this  comprehensive  it  is  only  necessary  to 
state  that  buildings  are  blown  not  towards  the  north- 
east but  will  be  taken  in  all  directions  of  the  compass; 
for  example,  if  a  house  was  struck  on  the  west  edge 
of  the  whirl  it  would  carry  the  debris  south,  but  if  a 
building  got  into  its  way  on  the  south,  it  would  carry 
the  material  east.  Of  course,  frequently  horses,  cat- 
tle, and  buildings  have  been  taken  up  boldly  \ind 
deposited  a  long  distance  away  in  the  track  ur  the 
destroyer. 


148  COMPARISONS 

Tliere  is  sometluiic;  wonderful  about  tliis  powp^r: 
It  resembles  a  heavy  freight  train,  which  will  ^"c 
thundering  down  a  grade  at  a  fearful  pace,  and  God 
help  anything  coming  in  contact  with  it;  but  on  reach- 
ing the  foot  of  the  hill,  it  will  then  begin  to  climb  up, 
gradually  slackening  its  force,  so  that  a  boy  could 
board  it;  then  it  climbs  over  the  apex  and  again 
rushes  down.  And  so  does  a  tornado;  it  will  swoop 
down  on  a  point,  then  it  will  ascend  and  pass  over 
considerable  space  doing  no  damage,  then  it  will  rush 
down,  devastating  whatever  comes  in  its  way.  There 
is  another  peculiarity  about  this  demonstration  of 
nature's  power:  After  the  demon  of  destruction  has 
passed  over  there  is  a  peculiar  suction  which  will 
throw  a  person  down  even  when  the  twister  itself  is  a 
mile  away.  This  theme  is  one  that  could  be  spun  out 
interminably,  for,  is  it  not  marvellously  strange  the 
wonderful  things  it  will  do?  It  will  drive  a  piece  of 
two-by-four  scantling  into  the  ground  three  or  four 
feet.  Such  a  force  would  empale  one  if  he  came  in 
contact  ^vith  it.  A  splinter  of  wood  has  been  seen 
stuck  through  a  railroad  sign,  *'Look  Out  for  the 
Cars";  locomotives  and  w4iole  trains  have  been  rolled 
over  and  over  mariy  feet  from  the  track. 

But  here  is  Avhat  Castaneda  said  about  the  storm 
they  encountered:  "While  the  army  was  resting  in 
this  ravine,  as  we  have  related,  a  tempest  came  up 
one  afternoon  with  a  high  wind  and  hail,  and  in  a  very 
short  space  of  time  a  great  quantity  of  hail-stones,  as 
big  as  bowls,  or  bigger,  feU  as  thick  as  rain  drops,  so 
that  in  places  they  covered  the  ground  two  or  three 
spans  or  more  deep.     And  one  hit  the  horse — or,  I 


castaneda's  account.  147 

should  say  there  was  not  a  horse  that  did  not  break 
away,  except  two  or  three  which  the  Negroes  pro- 
tected by  holding  large  sea  nets  over  them  with  the 
helmets  and  shields  which  all  the  rest  wore;  and  some 
of  them  dashed  up  on  to  the  sides  of  the  ravine  so 
that  they  got  them  down  with  great  difficulty.  If  it 
had  struck  them  while  they  were  upon  the  plain,  the 
army  would  have  been  in  great  danger  of  being  left 
without  its  horses  as  there  were  many  which  they 
were  not  able  to  cover.  The  hail  broke  many  tents 
and  battered  many  helmets,  wounded  many  of  the 
horses,  and  broke  all  the  crockery  of  the  army  and 
thG  j^ourds,  which  v/as  no  small  loss  because  they  do 
not  have  any  crockery  in  this  region. '^ 

After  this  new  experience,  our  party  was  not  as 
pibilaiit  as  they  were,  being  injured  and  wet.  Doubts 
as  to  the  reception  they  were  to  receive  from  the 
natives  helped  to  bring  on  a  night  of  gloom,  but  the 
knocker  of  blues  came  out  in  glorious  splendor  tipp- 
ing the  prairies  with  that  most  desired  by  the  Span, 
iards,  (gold),  not  the  filthy  stuff,  but  the  pure 
unalloyed  article  whose  intrinsic  value  is  above  any 
known  substance,  for  it  creates  life  and  the  staff 
thereof. 

It  is  concluded  to  remain  here  for  a  few  days 
after  the  fearful  storm  and  to  reconnoiter  and  see  if 
the  natives  eould  not  be  induced  to  commune  with 
them,  as  they  are  observed  from  the  distance  in  num- 
erous parties. 

The  general  has  now  implicit  faith  in  Ysopete, 
but  the  reverse  in  Turk;  so  the  second  day  after  the 
sto*^''^  he  is  brought  into  the  presence  of  the  princi- 


148  TURK  STRANGLED. 

pie  officers  for  the  purpose  of  getting  him  to  make  a 
confession,  and  here  is  what  was  written  at  the  time 
of  the  transaction:  "Turk  after  much  persuasive 
cross-examination,  was  at  last  induced  to  confess 
that  he  had  hed/'  They  asked  the  Turk  why  he  had 
lied  and  had  guided  them  so  far  out  of  the  way.  He 
said  tiiat  his  country  was  in  tiiat  direction,  and  that 
besides  this,  the  people  at  Gicuye  had  asked  him  to 
lead  them  off  upon  the  plains  and  lose  them,  so  that 
the  horses  would  die  when  their  provisions  gave  out, 
and  they  would  be  so  weak  if  they  ever  returned  that 
they  could  be  kiUed  without  any  trouble.  Thus  they 
could  take  revenge  for  what  had  been  done  to  them. 
This  was  the  reason  why  he  had  led  them  astray, 
supposing  that  they  did  not  know  how  to  hunt  or  to 
live  without  corn;  while  as  for  gold,  he  did  not  know 
where  there  was  any  of  it.  He  said  this  like  one  wlio 
had  given  up  hope  and  was  being  persecuted,  since 
they  had  begun  to  believe  Ysopefce,  who  had  g a  Idol 
them  better  than  he  had.  Fearing  lest  those  wao 
•were  there  might  give  him  some  advice  by  wliioh 
harm  would  come  to  them,  they  garrotted  him.  This 
vindicated  Ysopete  because  he  had  always  said 
that  Turk  was  a  rascal  and  that  he  did  not 
know  what  he  was  talldng  about,  and  had  always  hin- 
dered his  talking  with  anybody. 

After  Turk  was  strangled,  Ysopete  on  the  third 
day  of  their  sojourn  at  Junction  City  got  near  enough 
to  some  of  his  Indian  friends  to  have  them  recognize 
his  sign  of  friendship,  for  it  is  conceded  that  all  the 
tribes  understood  the  sign  language,  making  it  pos- 
sible for  them  to  convey  ideas  to  each  other  notwith- 


SIGN   LANGUAGE.  149 

standiag  they  wore  unable  to  speak  each  other's 
dialect.  Tiie  great  work  from  which  the  facts  are 
taken,  comment  on  this  sign  lan<?uage  by  stating  in 
Vol.  1,  Page  XXXII:  ''Numerous  aboriginal  tribes 
were  at  the  threshold  of  writing  when  the  American 
continant  was  discovered;  a  few  were  fairly  entered 
on  the  domain  of  graphic  expression,  but  most  were 
still  groping  blindly  and  widely  for  definite  methods; 
and  their  spontaneous  and  unguided  essays  towards 
the  crystallization  and  perpetuation  of  thought  in 
graphic  symbals  were  remarkably  curious  and  instruc- 
tive. A  common  mode  of  recording  thought  among 
the  Indians  inhabiting  the  territory  now  forming  the 
territory  of  the  United  States  was  of  crude  inscrip- 
tion forming  pictographs;  accordingly  these  primi- 
itive  essays  toward  graphic  expression  were  sub- 
jected to  study,  and  the  research  was  fruitful. 
Earher  than  the  attempt  to  annihilate  time  through 
a  permanent  record  was  the  effort  to  bridge  the 
chasm  of  space  by  thought  symbols  extending  be- 
yond the  reach  of  sound;  and  thus  nearly  all  primitive 
people,  including  most  of  the  American  tribes,  de- 
vised systems  of  signalling  by  means  of  gesture,  the 
waving  of  weapons  and  garments,  fires,  smoke,  etc. 
In  conjunction  with  signalling,  many  ill-organized 
groups  of  people,  consisting  of  clans  and  tribes  tem- 
jwrarily  or  permanently  at  peace,  but  speaking  a  dis- 
tinct dialect  or  tongue,  devised  systems  of  gesture  or 
signs  for  conveying  ideas.  Among  some  American 
tribes  this  mode  of  expression  became  highly  de- 
veloped. Together  signalling  and  gesture  speaking 
constitute  a  distinct  part  of  expression  co-ordinate 


150  PICTURE   WRITING  AND  GESTURES. 

with  speech  and  writing,  though  a  nearly  useless  one 
after  the  invention  and  utilization  of  graphic  symbol- 
ism; and  the  study  of  the  art  is  especially  significant 
since  its  stages  of  rise,  culmination,  and  decadence 
were  exemplified  among  different  American  tribes. 
It  is  for  these  reasons  that  the  work  of  pictography 
and  sign  language  was  taken  up  in  the  Bureau  and 
tliG  reasons  have  appeared  only  stronger  and  more 
definite  as  the  study  progressed. 

''Researches  concerning  the  pictographs  and  ges- 
ture speech  of  the  native  American  tribes  were  con- 
tinued by  Colonel  Garrick  Mallery,  who  spent  a  part 
of  the  year  in  the  field  among  the  survivors  of  the 
Algonquin  tribes.  The  work  resulted  in  substantial 
addition  to  the  picture  writing  and  gesture  speech 
among  these  people.  During  the  greater  part  of  the 
year  Colonel  Mallery  was  occupied  in  the  of&ce,  first 
in  preparing  and  afterwards  in  revising  and  correct- 
ing the  proof  sheets  of  his  extended  report,  entitled, 
* 'Picture  Writing  of  the  American  Indians." 

Castaneda  states,  writing  of  the  Comanches  and 
Teyas:  ''They  are  faithful  friends.  They  are  able 
to  make  themselves  very  well  understood  by  means 
of  signs."  As  before  stated,  Ysopete  began  signal- 
ing to  the  natives  of  the  friendship  of  the  party;  and 
finally  by  the  use  of  the  sign  language,  he  got  their 
fears  removed,  permitting  him  to  come  close  to  them, 
and  when  they  discovered  he  could  speak  their  own 
language  and  inform  them  of  the  tribe  to  which 
he  belonged,  (Kansas),  and  name  the  <:ihiefs  with 
whom  he  was  acquainted,  they  were  immediately 
pacified.     Jaramillo    wrote,    *'The  Indian,  Ysopete, 


'^BUFFALO  BILL."  151 

began  to  call  them  in  their  language,  so  they  came 
to  us  without  any  signs  of  fear." 

Regarding  the  locality  of  Junction  City,  as  you 
know,  the  Kansas  Pacific  Railroad  (now  the  Union 
Pacific)  runs  through  that  place,  having  been  built  in 
1866,  forty  years  ago.  Thirty  miles  west  is  Abilene, 
where  * 'Buffalo  BiU,"  (W.  F.  Cody),  obtained  his  so- 
briquet because  he  was  the  man  who  kept  the  rail- 
road boarding  houses  in  buffalo  meat  while  the  road 
was  being  built;  so  you  see  even  at  that  late  day  there 
were  some  of  the  native  cows  still  on  the  prairies. 
From  this  point  our  party  did  not  lack  company;  the 
news  flew  onlegs,  (Indian  runners),  as  well  as  by  signal 
fires  from  point  to  point,  that  there  was  no  danger; 
that  the  sight  was  much  more  interesting  than  was 
the  show  to  David  Harem  when  a  boy.  Barnum^s, 
Forepaugh's,^  Robinson's,  Ringlings',  Buffalo  Bill's, 
Wombal's,  all  combined  would  not  make  such  an  at- 
traction as  these  men  did  with  their  bows  which  made 
thunder;  men  who  had  clothes  which  an  arrow  could 
not  pierce;  and  more  wonderful  still,  who  had  some 
kind  of  a  thing  which  they  could  only  describe  as 
being  larger  than  a  buffalo  but  which  could  fly  with  a 
man  on  its  back. 

According  to  the  official  map  compiled  by  the 
Quivira  Ilistoricai  Society,  on  which  Indian  villages 
are  marked,  three  are  shown:  one  about  two  miles 
north  of  Junction  City;  another  about  ten  miles  south; 
then  ten  miles  east  of  McDowell  Creek  there  are 
located  four  more  villages;  so  that  within  a  radius  of 
ten  miles  from  the  camping  ground  of  our  flying  ex- 
pedition there  were  six  villages.  This  wiU  average 
with  tlie  cities  and  towns  of  the  present  day. 


ELEVENTH. 

Poor  Kansas!  (?)^ 

Trie  game  was  tame  (?), 
The  buffaloes  were  lame  (?); 
The  State  had  no  rain  (?), 
The  homesteader  no  gain  (?); 
'Twas  a  confounded  shame 
Tliat  he  settled  the  plain  (?). 


HERE  IS  no  record  left  by  those 
whose  memory  this  narration  desires 
to  perpetuate  relative  to  the  names 
of  the  various  clans  or  native  prov- 
inces they  visited,  except  that  of 
"Chief  Tatarrax,  who  ruled  over  Har- 
ahey";  also  the  province  of  Arache,  (or  Arahei),  Axa, 
Hax?.  and  Harale,"but  no  name  which  can  with  any 
certainty  be  made  conformable  to  the  present  ones. 
Yet  there  is  extant  history  which  heretofore  has 
been  spoken  of,  for  is  not  Father  Marquette's  map 
drawn  in  the  year  1673,  still  at  Montreal,  and  does  it 
not  designate  all  the  tribes  as  yv'g  know  them,  giving 
their  locations  so  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  terri- 
tory  occupied  by  each  nation?     Of  co'Trse,  the  Rev- 


CAMPED  ON    THE    KANSAS   RIVER.  153 

erend  Father  spells  Kansas,  *l^aiisa";  Osage,  "Oa- 
chage,"  Pawnee  **Panissa",  but  without  doubt,  the 
points  designated  must  have  been  the  most  promi- 
nent location  of  the  tribe  named;  so  from  that  map,  as 
well  as  from  the  one  compiled  in  1757  by  Du  Pratz,  in- 
cluding the  researches  of  the  Quivira  and  Kansas 
State  Historical  Societies,  the  location  of  our  Indian 
cities  is  presumed.  Mind  you,  they  are  now 
known,  and  as  written  of  200  years  ago  by  numerous 
writers;  so  without  doubt  one  of  the  largest  Kansas 
towns  was  located  at  an  ideal  camping  ground  about 
two  miles  east  of  Manhattan  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Kansas  river  and  near  the  mouth  of  the  Blue,  so  they 
could  get  to  the  Missouri  river  in  their  canoes  down 
the  Kansas;  also  up  the  Blue  for  many  miles.  Then  if 
they  wished  they  could  go  up  the  Kansas  for  tweny- 
f  ive  miles  and  at  Junction  City  ascend  the  Republican, 
or  by  going  another  twenty-five  miles  they  reach  the 
Solomon.  Verily  it  was  a  magnificent  location  nat- 
urally for  men  who  had  nothing  else  to  do  but  hunt 
game  and  watch  those  who  they  thought  were  their 
enemies.  Before  leaving  the  map  referred  to,  it  may  be 
information  to  learn  that  the  reverend  priest  desig- 
nates as  the  **Padoucas*'  the  tribe  occupying  the 
country  west  for  fiity  miles  (estimated)  from  Manhat- 
tan; and,  more  particularly,  that  Du  Pratz  has  the 
name  *'Paduca"  quite  prominent  in  the  same  locality. 
If  the  Kansas  river  is  taken  for  the  south  base  of 
the  territory  allotted  to  the  tribe  of  that  name,  com- 
mencing at  Junction  City  as  the  southwest  corner  of 
the  territory  claimed  by  the  Kansas  Indians,  and  run- 
ning east  to  Kansas  City  where  the  river  empties 


1j4       SPANIARDS   KNEW  A   GOOD  CO  JIT.:  ::^. 

Into  the  Missouri,  thence  goin<?  north  up  th3  ''Bl^ 
Muddy"  to  the  mouth  of  the  Nemaha  rivex^  at  the 
northeast  corner  of  Kansas,  thence  up  the  Nemaha 
west  and  continuing  west  along  the  south  fork  of  the 
Nemaha  and  Clear  Creek,  crossing  the  Blue  at 
Marysville,  thence  southwest  to  Clay  Center  on  the 
Republican,  then  down  that  stream  to  Junction  City, 
the  place  of  beginning,  it  will  be  seen  that  this  beau- 
tiful chunk  of  land  is  about  sixty  by  one  hundred  and 
twenty  miles,  and  is  the  Italy  of  the  United  States. 
Jaramillo  says:  "This  country  presents  a  very  fine 
appearance.  - 1  have  not  seen  a  better  in  all  Spain  nor 
Italy  nor  a  part  of  France,  nor  indeed  in  the  other 
countries  where  I  have  traveled  in  His  Majesty's 
service,  for  it  is  not  a  very  rough  country,  but  it  is 
made  up  of  hillocks  and  plains  and  very  fine  appear- 
ing rivers  and  streams  which  certainly  satisfied  me 
and  made  me  sure  that  it  will  be  very  fruitful  in  all 
sorts  of  products.  Indeed,  there  is  profit  in  the  cat- 
tle ready  to  the  hand,  from  the  quantity  of  them, 
Vv^hich  is  now  as  great  as  one  could  imagine."  All 
you  liave  to  do  is  to  examine  the  map  and  see  what 
ii;ij  natural  boundaries  it  has. 

1'  rom  the  numerous  villages  within  ten  or  fifteen 
miles  from  the  camping  ground  of  our  party  came 
tiie  young  warriors  to  view  the  wonderful  strangers 
and  their  equipment.  »  Coronado  states  that  they 
were  painted  Indians,  so  it  is  not  a  stretch  of  the 
imagination  to  describe  their  decorations,  and  of 
course  you  may  be  sure  that  they  had  on  their  best 
clothes,  which  comprised  a  harrow  pair  of  awimming 
drawers,  made  from  oalf  or  deer  Mm.  Bonie  had  laoe 


THE  EARLIEST   KAN3AN.  155 

or  fringe  to  set  them  o3,  and  they  did  not  consider  it 
immodest  to  display  this  finery.  All  had  quivers 
orer  their  shoulders.  Tiiese  were  quite  artistic,  being 
made  from  fawn's  hide,  the  body  forming  the  quiver. 
It  was  turned  inside  out,  and  was  by  nature  made 
round.  It  was  made  neat  by  having  the  flesh 
extracted  without  cutting  the  skin,  the  hind  legs, 
bones,  flesh  and  sinews  were  scooped  out.  The 
pelt  would  be  scraped  with  a  slicker,  thus  remov- 
ing all  flesh;  next  it  was  rubbed  with  the  tallow  of  the 
buffalo  until  it  became  as  pliable  and  as  well  tanned 
as  a  currier  could  do  it.  The  neck  was  then  drawn 
together  with  a  thong  with  tassels  at  the  end,  made 
from  the  bush  of  some  animal's  tail  according  to 
the  fancy  of  the  owner.  A  hole  was  cut  at  the  other 
end,  leaving  the  hind  legs  to  form  a  sling  to  throw 
over  the  shoulders  for  carrying  it,  the  little  deer's 
feet  often  being  left,  and  polished  smooth,  for  an 
ornament.  Of  course  the  hair  was  left  on.  So  a  very 
artistic,  light,  durable,  and  easily  carried  receptacle 
was  made  for  the  missiles  of  death.  Attached  to  the 
quiver  was  a  little  pocket  made  from  the  skin  of  a 
prairie  dog,  scooped  out  the  same  as  heretofore  de- 
scribed, in  which  they  kept  their  flint  knives.  Usually 
they  carried  several  in  case  of  one  breaking.  The  left 
arm  was  encased  in  a  gauntlet  reaching  from  the  wrist 
to  the  elbow,  made  from  the  leg  of  a  bulfalo;  each  man 
selecting,  when  hunting,  the  size  which  would  flt  his 
arm.  This  covering  \vas  to  keep  the  string  of  the  bow 
from  hurting  their  arms  when  a  shaft  was  fired. 

It  should  be  remembered  tliat  nearly  every  tribe 
of  Red  men  in  America  had  a  Totem.     James  Peni- 


156     ^,  KANSAS   TOTE?,l.  j. 

i  ■  >     A     .  ■  ,         ■ 

more  Cooper  states  that  Uncus,  the  last  of  the  Mohe- 
cans,  had  a  turtle  tattooed  on  his  breast.  That  was  not 
his  tribal  Totem,  but  his  individual  one,  signifying 
him  to  be  a  chief  by  hereditary  right.  The  great 
novelist  does  not  state  v/ha,b  the  tribal  totem  was. 
**The  Clan  Totem"  is  reverenced  by  the  body  of  men 
and  women  who  call  themselves  by  the  name  of  the 
totem,  believing  themselves  to  be  of  one  blood,  de- 
scendants of  the  common  ancestor.  In  its  social  as- 
pect, it  witnesses  the  reiation  of  the  clansmen  to  each 
other  and  how  they  are  bound  to  give  assistance  in 
time  of  distress."  After  careful  research  the  location 
of  the  totem  of  various  tribes  and  people  cannot  be  here 
given;  for  although  the  authorities  ^ive  numerous 
people  as  being  addicted  to  Totemism,yet  they  do  not 
state  on  what  part  of  the  body  the  emblem  is  located, 
or  whether  on  one  or  different  parts  of  the  body  accord*, 
ing  to  the  custom  of  the  numerous  people  using  them. ,' 
It  may  be  thought  that  only  the  American  Indians 
used  this;  bat  Australia  does  so  almost  universally,] 
as  well  a^>  Panama,  Columbia,  Venezuela,  parts  of; 
Africa,  India  and  numerous  places.  So  it  must  be  a 
kind  of  mania;  for  do  not  sea-faring  men  invariably  j 
have  their  arms  or  chests  tattooed  with  an  anchor  orj 
other  emblem?  (The  German  government  has  re-| 
cently  forbidden  the  practice  in  its  navy,  it  having 
been  demonstrated  that  it  was  unhealthy).  Although 
the  books  throw  no  light  upon  the  totem  used  by  the 
Kansas  people,  yet  it  is  stated  that  the  Kaws  used 
among  their  different  branches  '*Black  Eagle,' 
'*White  Eagle,"  "Deer  and  Deer  .Tail."  ,  The  Kansas 
Indians  were  designated  Kaws  over  a  hundred  years 


OSAGES'  CLAN   TOTEM.  157    ,^^ 


'> 


ago  by  the  French  traders  who  established  trading 
points  in  this  territory.  It  is  a  contraction  of  the 
proper  name.  History  recites  that  the  old  men  of 
this  tribe,  told  of  their  coming  from  the  northeast 
near  the  Great  Lakes,  and  this  is  born^  out  by  the 
fact  of  their  using  the  same  class  of  teiiu^  as  the 
natives  of  the  timber  country,  the  only  diiierence  be- 
ing the  Kansans  used  the  buffalo  skins  to  cover  the 
tents  instead  of  the  bark  of  trees,  and  it  is  also  con- 
ceded that  the  Kansas  and  Osage  tribes  came  to  Qui- 
vira  at  the  same  time  and  in  one  body,  but  on  their 
arrival,  they  divided  into  two  bands,  as  did  Abraham 
and  Lot,  the  difference  only  is,  that  the  old  patriarchs 
parted  because  they  had  so  many  cattle  that  there 
was  not  sufficient  pasture  for  both  of  them  in  the 
same  locality,  whereas  the  tribes  divided  because 
there  was  too  many  of  them  to  hunt  the  game  in  one 
confined  territory. 

Again,  it  is  authoritatively  stated,  that  the  Kansas 
and  the  Osages  speak  the  sum  laa^^uage,  but  the 
Pawnees  and  the  Padoucas  had  each  different  dialects 
but  all  could  readily  comprehend  by  signs,  which 
surprised  Coronado  and  caused  him  to  comment 
thereon  in  his  commentaries. 

But  to  come  back  to  the  totem  of  the  Kansas  clan. 
They  had  a  Black  Eagle  tattooed  on  their  breasts 
right  in  the  center;  the  Osages  used  the  White  Eagle 
to  designate  their  band;  then  another  branch  had  a 
deer,  and  still  a  fourth  a  Deer  Tail.  A  peculiar  thing 
about  this  totem  was  that  they  must  not  eat  of  the 
flesh '^of  the  animal  represented  or  they  would  be  in- 
jured in  health  or  break  out  in  sores.    The   books 


158      AMERICAN  EAGLS   THE   KANSAS  TOTEM. 

4 

tell  of  a  sub-clan  of  Omaha  Indians  having  '*Red 
Maize"  for  a  totem,  and  if  they  ate  thereof,  even  in 
Ignorance,  it  would  cause  sickness,  not  only  to  them- 
selves but  to  their  wives  and  children;  and  another  di- 
vision of  the  Omahas  had  the  Elk,  and  if  any  part  of  a 
male  elk  was  eaten,  they  would  have  running  sores 
all  around  their  mouth.  It  looks  reasonable  that 
when  our  tribe  emigrated  to  its  new  home  and  con- 
cluded to  separate,  one  retained  the  Black  Eagle  for 
its  totem;  the  other,  the  Osages,  changed  theirs  to 
a  White  Eagle.  Kansans  have  nerve  enough  to  claim 
anything,  so  why  not  take  the  credit  of  being  the 
first  copyrighter  of  tho  Totem,  (Eagle),  now  used  by 
the  United  States? 

To  say  the  least,  it  is  a  remarkable  thing  that  this 
totem  should  have  the  same  significance  as  the  story 
of  the  Garden  of  Eden:  **And  the  Lord  God  com- 
manded the  man,  saying:  Of  every  tree  of  the  garden 
thou  mayest  freely  eat,  but  of  the  tree  of  knowledge 
of  good  and  evil,  thou  shalt  not  eat  of  it,  for  in  the  day 
that  thou  eatest  thereof,  thou  shalt  surely  die." 

In  the  days  that  are  being  written  about,  the 
Indian,  then  as  now,  loved  gaudy  colors.  A  red 
blanket  for  many  generations  has  been  to  them  like 
what  the  scarlet  neckwear  has  been  to  a  colored 
wench;  and  so  our  natives  who  had  scrutinized  the 
Spaniards,  have  the  decorations  distributed  about 
their  bodies.  The  forehead, .  cheeks  and  chin  are 
painted  red;  the  arms  and  Iqqs  have  black  rings  alter- 
nated v/ith  red  crosses;  in  fact,  they  were  "painted 
India^xs"  i'l  every  sense  of  the  word.  They  aU  had  on 
^ome  i:::i.L  of  a  liead:rear  decorated  with    feathers. 


,  ,     ^''        BOWS  SUPERIOR  TO  GUNS.  159     .^ 

Each  carried  his  faithful  bow,  and  mind  you,  this  was 
no  plaything,  for  Castaneda  records  seeing  "a  Teyas 
shoot  a  bull  right  through  both  shoulders  with  an 
arrow,  which  would  be  a  good  shot  for  a  musket." 
Those  who  have  watched  the  youth  of  the  west,  real- 
ize how  wild  the  average  boy  is  over  his  first  ''t  vventy- 
two,"  and  then  he  is  crazy  to  hunt  and  shoot,  and  is 
not  happy  save  when  he  has  the  gun  in  his  hands.  -  So 
it  was  with  the  Indian  child,  who  began  in  childhood 
to  acquire  the  art.  Is  it  any  wonder,  then,  that  the 
Indians  were  proficient?  Beginning  at  eight  years  of 
age  and  continuing  till  twenty,  they  would  get  twelve 
years  of  practice.  « As  there  was  no  school  to  attend, 
theirs  was  the  schojl  of  necessity.  They  were  com- 
pelled to  asqulre  proficiency  in  hunting  instead  of 
learning;  and  hunting  meant  the  use  of  the  bow  and 
arrowy.  That  they  were  experts  is  frequently  attested 
by  t'i3  Spaniards,  for  you  will  recall  the  incident,^ 
whc^i  :i  csrtain  ofiicer  lifted  his  visor  how  an  arrow 
i  ;n:  moment  pierced  his  brain. 

Now  something  about  the  bow  and  arrow.  Fifty 
aL^ro'vv^s  were  considered  a  good  supply,  and  here  is  a 
description  of  them  taken  from  the  great  work  here- 
tofore mentioned:  They  are  twenty -two  to  twenty- 
three  inches  long  without  the  head;  they  were  made 
of  some  light  wood,  cedar  preferably;  the  feathers  at 
the  neck  are  glued  on,  (the  natives  early  knew  of 
glue  from  the  feet  of  the  buffalo  and  deer,)  after  hat- 
ing* the  quill  part  stripped  off,  and  were  about  four 
inches  in  length,  and  were  tied  with  fine  sinewH'-^ 
k^ep  them  in  place.  The  heads  of  the  arrows  war« 
H^n^  with  flint.    There  was  a  notch  of  oourse  at  tlia 


160  ARROW    SHOT  THROUGH   BUJ<^FALO, 

neck  of  the  arrow  made  to  fit  the  strln^;-  of  the  bow. 

The  bow  is  made  from  hickory  or  asli,  both  of 
which  are  natural  to  Kansas.  -^ Both  smooth  and  shell- 
bark  hickory,  either  of  which  is  ideal  mr.terial  for 
bows,  are  common.  Of  course  bows  were  made  ac- 
cording to  the  fancy  of  each  son  of  the  prairlo,  hut  all 
desired  one  of  accuracy  and  one  which  would  carry 
a  long  distance.  The  averagp  length  was  four  feet. 
The  wood  was  irequcntly  rublij^  with  deer  brains  to 
make  it  elastic  and  less  liable  t(>.;%i)linter  when  ten- 
sion was  great.  The  skin  was  carefully  selected  gut 
of  a  deer  which  was  cleansed,  and  while  pliable  was 
drawn  through  the  hand,  then  twisted,  then  passed 
through  a  series  of  holes  made  in  a  piece  of  bone  to 
get  it  down  to  the  required  size.  Of  course  each 
individual  decorated  the  part  grasped  by  the  hand  to 
suit  his  taste.  The  important  and  rarely  understood 
point  is,  how  far  will  a  bow  shoot?  Here  is  what  Un- 
cle Sam  saj^s:  "With  reference  to  the  penetration  of 
the  arrow,  much  depends  on  the  bow.  I  have  exam- 
ined a  bow  belonging  to  Long  Soldier,  a  Sioux  hunter 
of  magnificent  physique,  who  formerly  dwelt  at  the 
now  abandoned  agency  of  Grand  River,  North  Dakota. 
The  string  of  this  bow  I  could  scarcely  pull  at  full  ar- 
row length,  even  when  standing  on  the  bow  and  pull- 
ing the  string  with  main  strength.  This  was  per- 
haps the  strongest  bow  used  in  the  Sioux  camp.  The 
report  was  current,  and  doubted  by  none,  that  Long 
Soldier  had  often  shot  arrows  entirely  through  the 
body  of  the  buffalo.  In  this  case  it  is  to  be  of  course 
understood  that  the  arrow  encountered  no  large 
bones.     Bows  and  arrows  were  used  long  after  the 


'  .  NOISELESS  KILLING  ARROW.  161 

introduction  of  firearms,  as  the  former  conld  be  suc- 
cessfully used  in  hunting  game  and  shooting  down 
sentinels  without  revealing  the  presence  of  an  enemy. 
'*It  is  well  known  to  those  familiar  with  the  sub- 
ject, that  as  late  as  fifteen  or  twenty  years  ago,  when 
hostile  Indians  were  still  thoroughly  in  practice  with 
the  bow  and  arrow,  that  it  were  safer  to  stand  before 
an  Indian's  rifle  at  eighty  yards  than  at  the  same  dis- 
tance when  he  was  armed  with  a  bow  and  arrow.  Since 
these  more  primitive  weapons  have  been  discarded, 
however,  the  Indians^  have  become  more  expert  with 
the  rifle,  as  has  many  times  been  shown." 

Ask  a  sportsman  at  what  distance  his  breech,  self- 
loading  shot-gun  will  kill,  and  invariably  his  reply  will 
be  sixty  yards;  and  for  a  good  hunter  to  bring  down 
a  rabbit  on  the  run  at  180  feet  is  above  the  average 
shot.  :  A.gain,  observe  what  Uncle  Sam  in  substance 
says  relative  to  the  Indian  not  taking  kindly  to  fire- 
arms: These  children  of  nature  are  not  stupid. 
They  know  that  the  foolish  (?)  wild  animals  will  very 
readily  '*catch  on"  at  the  first  crack  of  a  rifle  that  there 
is  danger,  whereas  a  bolt  from  a  bow  would  be  silent 
and  yet  death-dealing,  and  would  not  this  weapon  be 
much  more  effective  where  an  opportunity  was  sought 
to  shoot  a  man  without  giving  a  general  alarm?  Is- 
it  not  a  fact,  that  under  favorable  atmospheric  con- 
ditions the  report  of  a  rifle  could  be  heard  several 
miles?  So  these  subtle  natives  must  be  given  credit 
for  having  a  good  deal  of  mother  wit. 

Until  the  Spanish- American  War,  whenever  sharp- 
shooters or  a  deploying  party  thrown  out  before  an 
engagement,   commenced   firing,   not   only  was  the 


162  TALL.  INDIANS. 

enemy  put  on  the  alert  by  the  noise,  but  the  smoke 
made  a  target  for  them  to  aim  at.  If  you  remember 
the  Spaniards  had  quite  an  advantage  over  our  boys, 
because  they  used  smokeless  pov^der.  That  new 
explosive  very  soon  superseded  the  old,black  stuff. 

But  what  of  the  physique  of  our  Quivirans?  Here 
is  what  the  General  said  in  a  letter  written  to  the 
King,  October  20,  1541:  **The  people  here  are  large. 
I  had  several  Indians  measured  and  found  that  they 
were  ten  palms  in  height,  (  6  1-2  feet )." 

<  Quite  numerous  were  the  men  and  boys  who 
came  to  satisfy  their  curiosity  and  most  were  given 
some  article  which  was  highly  prized.  The  com- 
mander had  Ysopete  translate  to  several  Indians  a 
message  which  he  wished  carried  to  Chief  Tatarrax, 
who  resided  about  twenty  miles  distant,  two  miles 
from  the  present  location  of  Manhattan,  on  the  Blue 
river.  These  men  set  out  to  bring  back  an  answer 
of  friendship,  a  present  of  colored  cloth  and  a  cheap 
brasj^  jewel,  being  sent  as  a  token  showing  good  will. 
It  did  not  take  long  for  a  reply  from  the  chief  of  the 
city  of  Harahey  to  reach  the  party,  he  having  been 
kept  posted  continually  by  runners,  relative  to  the 
attitude  of  strangers.  While  encamped  at  this  place 
some  of  the  men  went  hunting  and  lost  their  way,  for 
it  was  like  being  on  the  trackless  ocean  if  one  got 
away  from  the  water  course,  and  it  is  recorded  that 
one  of  the  party  was  lost  entirely  and  was  never 
heard  of,  and  that  two  horses  with  their  saddles  and 
bridles'"  strayed  away  and  were  never  seen  "^ again. 
The  messengers  returned,  -  bringing  presents  of 
jTOasting  ears  which  was  just  ready  to  eat,  and  with 


DOGS  USED  BY  INDIANS.  ']    163 


Ysopete's  lielp  it  was  cooked  and  eaten  witti  ^eat 
relish  by  the  newcomers;  also  the  king  and  chief  sent 
some  prairie  chickens  which  were  a  treat. 

--And  now  the  troop  is  ready  early  in  the  morning 
for  their  day's  journey  to  the  big  city.  The  men  are 
in  prime  spirits  and  condition,  as  the  natives  have 
treated  them  with  every  deference  and  their  loads 
have  been  transferred  to  the  pack  animals  of  the  na- 
tives. These  were  dogs  of  large  size;  the  draught 
carried  by  each  canine  being  about  fifty  pounds.  The 
plan  of  locomotion  was  by  two  light  poles  made  into 
shafts  which  were  tied  to  the  dog,  the  poles  extend- 
ing back,  the  ends  of  which  dragged  along  the  ground 
with  very  little  friction;  then  the  baggage  was  placed 
across  the  poles.  This  is  the  plan  yet  used  by  many 
tribes,  but  instead  of  a  dog  they  use  an  Indian  pony. 
A  party  of  Indians  were  seen  thirty-five  years  ago  go- 
ing from  Nebraska,  passing  through  Kansas  on  their 
way  to  Indian  Territory;  their  families  being  with 
them  and  their  belongings  transported  in  the  manner 
described. 

Our  cavalcade  had  an  escort  of  Indians  which 
increased  in  numbers  as  the  party  advanced,  for  the 
women  and  children  were  no  longer  afraid,  And 
turned  out  in  hohday  attire  to  take  part  in  the  demon- 
stration; so  that  from  Junction  City  to  Manhattan 
Alonso  and  Monte  were  introduced  to  many  people; 
in  fact,  Alonso  received  more  attention  than  did  his 
general,  for  the  reason  that  Ysopete  kept  conversing 
with  his  people,  reciting  to  then  how  kind  the  lieuten-^ 
ant  had  been  to  him;  and  Monte  received  his  share  of 
attention  as  they  were  informed  of  his  being  a  son  of 


164  HOW  INDIANS   **DON't"   DRESS. 

the  deposed  king  of  New  Spain.  Another  reason  for 
Alonso  being  so  popular  was  the  fact  that  he  was  the 
youngest  man  of  the  small  army  of  soldiers,  as  well 
as  the  most  handsome.  The  men  thought  him  well- 
i proportioned,  and  the  young  maidens  looked  upon 
him  with  a  rapturous  expression  upon  their  painted 
countenances.  ^ 

Although  the  fem:i!es  were  barbarians,  yet  they 
were  more  modest  than  one  would  suppose.  They 
must  not  be  described  as  ''refined,  educated  women''; 
but  of  the  women,  generally,  Coronado  says:  "The 
(Women  are  well  proportioned  and  their  features  are 
more  like  Moorish  women  than  Indians;  they  do  not 
have  cloaks,  nor  cotton  of  which  to  make  them,  but 
use  the  skins  of  the  cattle  they  kill,  which  they  tan, 
being  settled  among  the  cattle  on  a  very  large  river." 
It  is  hard  to  describe  the  garments  worn  by  the 
females  in  the  summer,  for  recollect  it  was  the  hottest 
time  of  the  year  when  they  were  first  seen  by  Euro- 
peans, and  naturally,  the  clothing  would  be  as  scant 
as  possible;  the  same  as  ladies  resort  to  at  the  pres- 
ent period  in  July  and  August,  for  have  you  not 
observed  numerous  women  during  the  hot  months  of 
summer  wearing  bodices  which  were  pretty  vapory? 
So  there  was  only  a  "slight"  difference  in  the  attire  of 
our  native  Quivirian  women,  they  having  no  shirt 
waists  on;  but  their  lower  hmbs  were  covered  with 
leggings,  some  of  which  were  quite  artistically  deco- 
rated with  fringe;  some  had  shoes  or  moccasins. 
Quite  a  number  had  sashes  over  their  shoulders, 
,  made  of  pied  deer  skin.  (It  is  said  that  there  were 
such  in  Quivira.)     These  were  nicely  tanned,  leaving 


PROF.   DYCHE'S  EXPERIENCE.  165 

the  white  artistically  arranged  so  as  to  make  an  orna- 
ment on  the  breast. 

Speaking  of  tanning  and  dressing  skins,  here  is 
the  experience  of  Prof.  Dyche  of  the  University  of 
Kansas,  when  on  a  hunting?  expedition  in  Greenland. 
Upon  his  arrival,  the  first  thing  he  did  was  to  enquire 
where  he  could  get  some  clothes  made  to  order, such 
as  the  rigorous,  winter  climate  required.     He  was 
directed   to  an  old  lady,  who  instructed  him   what 
class  of  pelts  to  buy.    Then   the  old  lady  hired  sev- 
eral women  to  drees  them;  which  was  done  by  each 
woman  chewing  the  flesh  side  until  it  was  perfectly 
pliable,  this  being  the  highest  class  of  currying;  so 
may  it  not  be  assumed  that  our  ladies  of  Quivira  re- 
sorted to  the  same  process?    Again  while  on  the  sub- 
ject of  tanning,  no  doubt,  you  have  seen  articles  of 
clothing  made  by  Indians  from  the  sldns  of  animals,. 
Always  they  are  of  a  yellowish  tinge,  regardless  of 
the  animal  from  which  the  hide  is  taken.     The  rea- 
son for  this  is  because  the  native   Indian  invariably 
uses  sumac,  which  Jaramillo  states  grew  wikl  when 
he  was  in  the  country,  and  it  is  very  common  now. 
The  method  to  tan  with  sumac  is  to  gather  the  loaves 
which  contain  all  necessary  properties,  which  with- 
out any  other  process  gives  the  creamy,  yellow  color 
of  the  chamois  skin.     And  further,  it  is  known  that 
this  same  plant  will  yield  a  red  and  other  colors  from 
its  roots  if  properly  treated.     Years  ago  there  was 
a  tannery  in  Nemaha  County,  Kansas,  that  piiiJ  chil- 
dren for  gathering  sumac  to  use  to  tan  calf  skins  for 
boots.  It  left  the  leather  the  same  color  as  heretofore 
described;  let  it  fbe  understood  that  a  small  per  cent 


166  ORNAMENTS  OP  DRESS. 

of  black  oak  bark  was  also  used  in  this  process  of 
tanning.  ^  ,^     _ 

But  to  return  to  the  attire  a,rid  ornaments  of  our 
native  women.  Nearly  all  had  necklaces,  not  made 
from  beads,  for  our  Indians  had  not  come  in  contact 
with  the  white  man  before,  so  knew  nothing  of  these 
gaudy  baubles,  which  in  the  future  history  of  these 
children  of  nature  were  to  become  as  valuable  and  as 
much  prized  as  are  diamonds  and  pearls  by  white 
folks.  But  many  things  were  utilized  to  beautify 
their  persons,  such  as,  strings  of  teeth  from  animals, 
small  bones  cut  into  rings  and  dyed  and  strung;  also 
small  shells  which  abound  in  all  the  streams,  (In 
after  years  these  strings  of  sheUs  were  called  waum- 
pum  and  were  used  as  money,)  polished  tortoise  shells, 
which  the  Spaniards  averred  were  "turquois,"  believ- 
ing they  were  in  Asia;  for  they  thought  the  orna- 
ments were  made  of  that  costly  material,  which  was 
then  known  to  be  procured  only  in  Persia,  and  esti- 
mated as  being  very  valuable  for  jewelry.  But  the 
old  feUows  were  mistaken  as  to  being  in  Asia,  as  well 
as  calling  it  *'turquois,"  for  it  was  made  from  the 
back  of  the  turtle  or  tortoise  which  abounds  in  the 
streams  of  Quivira.  They  have  been  seen  as  large  as 
eighteen  inches  long  and  weighing  fifty  pounds,  and 
the  shell  back  or  shield,  whatever  it  is  known  by,  is 
susceptible  of  a  fine  polish.  Then  some  had  selected 
small  colored  pieces  of  rock,  there  being  a  ,f;^reat 
variety  in  this  part  of  the  country,  and  drilled  holes 
therein.  So  it  need  not  be  thought  that  there  was  no 
natural  material  with  which  to  make  ornaments;  in 
fact  the  most  wonderful,  natural  ornaments  have  been 


15   MILES  AN  HOUR  IN  CANOE.  167 

picked  up  on  the  bluffs.  Some  have  been  seen  ia 
BUis  County,  which  puts  one  to  guessing  how  they 
were  formed,  especially  mica,  which  nature  has 
moulded  into  marvelous  shapes.  The  location  referred 
to  is  on  the  high  bluffs  south  of  the  Saline  river  near 
Plain  ville. 

Well,  the  children's  attire  are  asked  nbout:  They 
were  as  born,  therefore  it  does  not  take  long  to  enum- 
erate what  their  garments  consisted  of. 

It  is  in  the  magnificent  valley  of  the  Kausnr;  river 
where  our  party  is  making  towards  one  of  the  princi- 
pal cities  of  Quivira,  and  as  they  approach  they  are 
met  by  a  large  concourse  of  people,  for  the  news  has 
spread  not  only  to  the  clan  Kansas,  but  messengers 
have  sped  to  the  Osage  villages  along  the  Osage  river; 
also  the  Pawnees  have  been  informed  of  the  presence 
of  the  strangers.  It  will  appear  incredible  the  short- 
ness of  time  it  took  to  get  word  to  the  people  of  the 
country,  but  here  is  how  it  was  done:  The  principal 
town  was  located  a  Uttle  east  of  Manhattan  on  the  Kan- 
sas river,  so  canoes  were  used  to  spread  the  news  along 
the  Kansas  and  Missouri  rivers;  and  mind  you,  al- 
though it  is  about  125  miles  from  Manhattan  to  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  and  the  meandering  of  the  stream 
making  it  at  least  200  miles,  and  considering  the 
speed  of  a  canoe,  as  it  was  going  down  stream,  M- 
teen  miles  an  hour  was  not  considered  very  fast,  for 
at  times  twenty  miles  an  hour  could  be  made;  and 
when  you  consider  what  a  frail,  Ught  craft  was  used, 
your  wonder  will  cease.  The  Indians  of  the  forest 
used  birch  bark  and  other  desirable  bark  to  construct 
their  boats  with,  but  our  Buffalo  Indians  could  not 


168       CANOES  FROM  BUFFALOES. 

,  get  that  material,  so  they  utilized  a  much  superior  ar- 
ticle, which  was  so  common  that  it  was  no  trouble  to 
procure;  and  just  note  how  perfect  a  water  craft  they 
were  able  to  make  from  the  carcass  of  a  bulfalo,  this 
being  the  method  of  making  an  **express"  canoe:  Af- 
ter the  animal  was  killed,  the  head  and  legs  would  be 
cut  off,  then  the  llesh;  in  fact,  everything  would  be 
scooped  out  outil  the  hide  could  be  turned  inside  out; 
all  flesh  was  scraped  off,  then  the  leg  holes  would  be 
sewed  up  with  sinew  as  well  as  the  hind  part  to  keep 
it  canoe-shape;  then  it  would  be  turned  to  get  the 
hair  side  out,  when  it  was  ready  to  make  into  a  canoe. 
This  was  done  by  taking  two  saplings  about  two 
inches  in  circumference,  the  length  of  the  body,  then 
one  end  would  be  lashed  together  and  pushed  through 
the  neck  until  it  reached  the  hind  part,  then  the  ends 
protruding  at  the  neck  end  would  be  cutoff  at  the 
proper  length  and  tied  together;  the  next  operation 
would  be  to  cut  a  hole  toward  the  rump  large  enough 
to  admit  a  man's  body;  then  the  bow  to  the  gunnels 
was  made  by  reaching  in  and  fastening  the  necessary 
cross  pieces,  being  the  longest  about  the  center  and 
shorter  toward  the  ends;  then  a  sapling  would  be 
fastened  to  each  end  and  bent  downwards  at  the  neck 
so  as  to  make  a  graceful  and  water  cutting  prow;  then 
some  ribs  would  be  put  in  by  splitting  small  hickory 
saplings,  making  them  the  desired  form.  Now  it  is 
ready  to  sew  up  the  neck,  which  is  naturally  the 
proper  shape,  for  the  neck  makes  a  good  natural  prow; 
the  hole  for  the  Indian  to  kneel  down  in  would  be 
adjusted  by  a  round  hoop,  having  the  hide  rolled 
around  it  and  fastened,  of  course;  this  being  done 


HOW  CANOES  ARE   PADDLED.       169 

while  the  skin  is  new  and  pliable  and  can  be  shaped 
in  most  any  manner  wished.  A  canoe  thus  made 
would  not  weigh  to  exceed  forty  pounds,  and  by  rea- 
son of  the  direction  being  opposite  to  the  way  the 
hair  lays,  it  was  remarkable  how  the  duck-like  bark 
sped  over  the  water;  in  fact,  the  hair  resembled  the 
feathers  on  a  duck,  and  the  oil  which  remained  in 
the  skin  and  hair  made  it  glide  through  the  water 
without  friction. 

Uncle  Sam's  book  says  on  page  292:  *'The  pad- 
dles employed  are  the  same  as  for  the  birch  canoe, 
the  blade  and  handle  being  each  about  two  feet  in 
length.  When  a  single  oarsman  uses  a  canoe  he  al- 
ways kneels  at  the  stern,  etc.  The  oarsman  places 
a  small  bunch  of  grass  on  the  bottom,  on  this  he 
kneels  and  paddles  on  one  side,  readily  keeping  the 
canoe  in  a  straight  course  by  foDowing  each  stroke 
with  a  slight  upward  turn,  thus  compensating  for  the 
divergence  of  the  bow  from  a  true  course."  Again 
our  Uncle  Sam:  ^'Generally  the  top  of  the  handle 
has  two  projecting  i)ieces  resembling  the  letter  T, 
giving  the  oarsman  an  easy  and  effective  means  of  us- 
ing the  paddle."  Is  this  not  the  first  time  you  ever 
heard  that  our  Indians  propelled  a  canoe  by  dipping 
in  one  side  only?  There  is  nothing  wonderful  about 
that,  for  the  Venetians  in  their  gondolas  use  one  oar 
on  one  side  only  and  make  fast  time;  but  although 
scuUs  and  oars  have  been  used,  upon  attempting  to 
operate  a  gondola  on  the  Grand  Canal  it  Wds  dis- 
covered  it  took  another  class  of  experience,  for  the 
prow  of  the  buai  would  insist  upon  going  the  wrong 
way. 


170  RiaHT  AND  LiBFT  EMfcNM>D. 

Had  it  not  been  for  such  an  authority  as  the 
United  States,  recording  the  paddle  to  be  only  two 
feet  long,  it  would  be  hard  to  comprehend,  but  when 
it  is  considered  how  close  to  the  water  a  man's  arm 
would  be,  and  what  an  advantage  it  would  be  to  have 
the  arms  down  instead  of  elevated,  it  can  readily  be 
understood  the  power  that  can  be  put  into  the  paddle. 
In  Ben  Hur,  you  will  remember,  how  he,  although  a 
gilley  slave,  asked  the  commander  of  the  vessel  to 
allow  him  to  change  sides  at  the  oar,  calling  attention 
to  the  deformity  .'caused  by  the  men  being  compelled 
to  use  the  same  side,  whereas  if  permitted  to  change, 
both  arms  would  be  exercised  differently,  thus  obviat- 
ing;^ one  shoulder  becoming  lower  than  the  other;  and 
more  important  still,  that  in  case  of  accident,  the 
slave  would  be  just  as  expert  on  one  side  as  the  other. 
So  the  Indian,  when  he  got  tired  on  one  side,  would 
change  hands  and  paddle  the  other  side.  It  is  advan- 
tageous to  cultivate  the  use  of  both  hands,  particular- 
ly in  performing  physical  labor,  for  let  a  man  shovel* 
spade,  hoe  or  chop  right-handed  aU  day,  he  wiU  get 
more  exhausted  than  if  he  changes  off.  This  art  can 
be  acquired  very  quickly.  This  will  hold  good  with 
aU  manual  labor,  and  when  it  comes  to  gathering 
corn,  a  young  man  should  be  admonished  of  the  abso- 
lute necessity  of  his  training  himself  to  alternate  the 
peg  or  husking  gloves,  as  that  will  save  his  body,  and 
particularly  his  wrists,  from  many  aches. 

The  great  scientist,  Huxley,  states  the  possibili- 
ties of  using  one  hand  or  leg  as  well  as  the  other,  and 
he  is  authority  for  the  assertion  that  all  artists  in  tra- 
peze and  tumbling  performances  have  to  cultivate  the 


MUST   HAVE  CHANGE.  171 

use  of  both  limbs  to  become  proflcient  and  ex- 
pert. This  was  infaUibly  demonstrated  in  Eng- 
land by  the  following  incident:  During  the  stage 
coach  era,  a  line  of  coaches  ran  regularly  from  Lon- 
don to  Brighton,  a  distance  of  fifty  miles.  It  was  a 
very  popular  drive,  and  the  stage  company  had  the 
finest  of  horses,  but  it  was  very  difiicult  to  keep  the 
stock  in  good  condition;  in  fact,  most  of  the  horses 
went  lame,  and  after  considerable  research  and  con- 
sultation by  experts,  the  conclusion  was  reached  that 
by  reason  of  the  drive  being  perfectly  level,  only  cer- 
tain of  the  muscles  of  the  horses  came  into  use,  and 
they  could  not  stand  the  constant  strain  without 
change;  or  otherwise,  if  there  were  some  hills  to 
ascend,  it  would  rest  the  muscles  coming  into  use  on 
the  level,  thus  demonstrating  the  natural  necessity  of 
a  human  being  exercising  his  thinking  faculties  to 
to  preserve  his  body  by  change. 

^  But  coming  back  to  canoes.  It  is  safe  to  assert 
ttxat  the  boat  or  canoe  made  by  having  skins 
stretched  over  a  light  frame- work  is  the  swiftest 
craft  known.  Professor  Dyche  recites  an  interesting 
^Isode  he  witnessed  in  Greenland  several  years  ago. 
He  states  that  while  up  north,  a  Danish  vessel  put 
into  the  port  where  he  was  located,  and  becoming  ac- 
quainted with  the  captain,  he  was  invited  to  take  pas- 
sage to  some  other  town  on  the  coast.  While  the  ves- 
sel was  steaming  out  of  the  harbor,  a  number  of  na- 
tives in  Krracks  (canoes)  followed  in  the  wake  of  the 
vessel.  The  professor  observing  how  well  they  kept 
up,  caUed  the  captain's  attention  to  the  fact.  He 
remarked:     *'Wait  till  we  get  out  farther  and  we  will 


172  THE  PAPOOSB'S  FmST  RIDE. 

ftbow  them."  Soon  afterwards  the  captain  called 
down  the  spealdng  tube  for  the  engineers  to  give  her 
'more  si>eed.  At  this  juncture  one  of  the  Esquimaux 
<•©  states  the  Professor)  must  have  conjectured  that 
the  steamer  was  trying  to  run  off  from  them,  so  he 
actually  paddled  around  the  prow  of  the  ship,  thus 
making  the  monster  steamship  appear  behind  the 
times  for  speed;  and  mind  you,  it  was  going  about 
I  twelve  knots  an  hour  (6083  ft.  is  a  knot,or  1.15  stat- 
ute miles).,  so  the  ship  was  going  nearly  fourteen 
miles  an  hour.  Talk  about  your  Yale  and  Harvard, 
and  Oxford  and  Cambridge  crews!  Why,  they  would 
not  be  in  it. 

.  The  party  is  having  considerable  fun,  espe-cially 
the  children,  for  Alonso  has  Ysopete  to  talk  with  the 
young  people  who  take  very  kindly  to  our  hero:  who 
gets  off  his  horse  and  sets  four  boys  astride;  and  in 
heaven  upon  earth  the  young  ones  are,  as  well  as 
their  fathers  and  mothers,  for  are  they  not  on  the  fly- 
ing animal  which  they  will  remember  all  their  lives? 
And  Monte's  mule  was  not  idle,  for,  having  its  pack 
transferred  to  the  dogs,  it  was  able  to  carry  numer- 
ous babies.  '  ,^ 
Before  reaching  the  city  of  Harahey,  Chief  Tatar- 
rax  met  our  party  with  200  warriors,  and  as  Jaramillo 
states,  "All  naked,  with  bows  and  some  sort  of  things 
on  their  heads,  and  their  privy  parts  slightly  covered. 
He,  the  chief,  was  a  very  big  Indian,  with  large 
body  and  limbs,  and  well-proportioned."  At  the  ap- 
proach of  the  chief  and  his  200  men  the  Spaniards,  at 
the  command  of  their  general,  lined  up  in  military  or* 
der,  visors  down,  lances  set,  the  colors  of  Spain  float- 


PRESENTING  CHIEF  WITH  GIFTS.  173      ' 

ing  in  the  breeze,  all  of  which  was  a  sight  that  awed 
the  chief  and  his  army;  for  up  to  this  time  they  had 
never  conceived  such  a  wonderful  display;  but  the 
chief  had  been  informed  of  the  flying  animal  as  well 
as  of  the  bows  which  shot  fire,  also  of  the  magic 
clothes  which  an  arrow  would  not  penetrate;  and  thus 
he  was  not  as  non-plussed  as  he  would  have  been  had 
he  not  been  advised.  Coronado,  Alonso  and  Jaramiilo 
an4^  Friar  Juan  de  Padilla  ride  toward  the  ^hief, 
saluting  him  in  military  style.  By  the  instruction  of 
Ysopete,  Alonso  has  learned  the  sign  of  friendship  as 
understood  by  the  **Kansans."  This  he  has  conveyed 
to  his  companions,  so  that  all  salute  the  chief  by  the 
salutation  sign  of  friendship,  which  he  understood, 
and  by  reason  thereof  was  pacified  and  convinced  of 
the  friendliness  of  the  strangers;  and  to  further 
demonstrate  the  desire  of  the  white  men  Cor  peace, 
the  commander  presented  the  chief  with  a  pair  of 
brass  bracelets,  which  Coronado  placed  on  the  tyro, 
wrists  of  the  big  Indian  chief;  and  although  these  or- 
naments cost  about  two  dollars,  yet  owing  to  the  bur- 
nish and  remarkable  brilliancy  of  the  metal,  the  native  j 
who  had  never  seen  the  like  before,  thought  them* 
very  precious.  Then  Father  Juan  de  Padilla  took^ 
a  necklace  of  colored  beads  with  a  cross  pendant 
of  some  white  metal,  which  was  put  around^ the! 
chief's  neck.  The  holy  man  placed  the  emblem  of 
Christ  reverently  about  the  person  of  the  chief,  whose 
people  he  desired  to  bring  to  tlie  cross,  and  with  it 
the  priest  with  uplifted  hands,  face  toward  heaven, 
offered  up  a  fervent  prayer  to  the  Son  of  God  to  ajssist 
him  in  converting  these  pec;)u':  aid  it  was  impressive 


174  ^  FATHER  PADILLA. 

!ttt  the  presence  of  the  throng  of  people  on  that  beau- 
tlfal  July  afternoon  to  witness  the  man  of  God  stand- 
toif  there  in  his  priestly  garb  on  a  spot  where  never 
txtitore  had  such  a  prayer  been  heard.  Naturally  the 
Indians  were  struck  with  wonder  by  the  actions  and 
appearance  of  the  black-robed  father,  and  the  scene 
was  «o  unusual.  Is  there  any  wonder  their  supersti- 
tions vere  aroused?  _    * 

^And  now  it  became  necessary  for  the  chief  to 
show  his  gratification  aid  good  will  toward  the 
•Irangers,  so  packs  of  dogs  were  ordered  around 
loaded  with  dried  buffalo  meat,  as  well  as  ground 
meat;  also  there  were  many  hides  full  (in  lieu  of  bask- 
ets) of  new  corn,  as  well  as  beans,  grapes,  plums,  etc., 
Whidi  by  signs  the  chief  made,  the  Spaniards  under- 
stood were  for  them;  then  Ysopete  was  turned  to  as 
the  interpreter,  who  endeavored  in  the  few  Spanish 
words  he  had  picked  up  to  translate  what  the  chief 
desired  to  convey,  the  main  feature  of  which  was  that 
tiiey  were  welcome,  and  that  he  would  see  that  they 
were  unmolested  and  given  every  facility  to  see  the 
country. 

^""Then  the  Chief  directed  his  priest  to  come  forth. 
This  was  done  because  Ysopete  had  hurridly  explain- 
ed what  the  black  father  had  done,  so  the  native  pre- 
acher with  many  gesticulations,  waived  his  medicine 
bag  (the  priest  held  his  crucifix  when  praying),  and 
sx>oke  in  a  loud  voice  and  pointed  to  his  god,  then 
setting  in  the  west,  to  give  health  and  strength  to  the 
strangers,  that  they  might  have  abundent  buffalo 
flesh,  corn,  pumpkins  and  beans,  in  order  that  they 
might  be  strong  in  body  and  happy.     iVt  the  conclus- 


MEDKSrNE  MAN  vs.  CHRISTIAN  SCIENTIST.      176 

ton  of  the  harangue,  the  native  preacher  and  doctor 
scattered  some  dust  of  flowers  and  water  on  the 
ground,  which  was  the  highest  ceremony  he  could 
perform. 

No  doubt  some  may  smile  at  the  foolishness  of 
the  Indian  preacher,  medicine  man  or  by  whatever 
appellation  he  is  known,  but  is  it  foolish  to  adore 
the  sun?  Does  it  not  create  everything,  especially 
vegetable  life,  which  every  animate  thing  must  have 
directly  or  indirectly  to  exist?  With  all  deferep^os  to 
verses  11  and  12,  Genesis  First,  as  follows:  "And  God 
said,  Let  the  earth  bring  forth  grass,  the  herb  yiel'l- 
ing  seed,  and  the  fruit  tree  yielding  fruit  aluer  bi.^ 
kind,  whose  seed  is  in  itself,  upon  the  earbli:  and  it 
was  so.  And  the  earth  brought  forth  grass,  and 
herb  yielding  seed  after  his  kind,  and  the  tree  yield- 
ing fruit,  whose  seed  was  in  itself,  after  its  kind:  and 
God  saw  that  it  was  good."  We  are  informed  by  the 
Book  of  Books  that  God  created  vegetation  on  the 
third  day,  and  this  was  the  day  before  the  sun,,  moon 
and  stars  were  brought  into  existence,  they  being 
created  on  the  fourth  day.  Of  course  some  astute, 
profound,  and  erudite  ecclesiastics  may  be  able  to 
assign  a  reason  for  this  seemingly  unnatural  freak, 
but  ''Nothing  is  impossible  with  God."  V/e  are  per- 
mitting our  thinking  faculties  to  run  in  its  natural 
channel,  without  bias,  for  from  observation  we  know 
that  vegetation  if  kept  from  the  sun  will  not  amount 
to  much.  So  it  w^ouid  appear  that  the  uneducated 
native  was  justified  in  his  adoration  of  the  Ufe-giving 
power  and  furnace  of  the  earth.  If  you  wer3  ever  out 
on  an  awful  night,  suffering  from  the  coidj  and  then 


j^X7Q       ANaENT  AND  MODEBN  FOOLISHNESS. 

to  have  the  glorious  sun  come  out  in  the  mornin^^  and 
warm  your  chilled  bones,  it  would  cause  you  to  adore 
the  incomprehensible  power  of  the  sun.  And  as  for 
water,  many  of  the  American  Indians  worship 
springs  for  the  water  which  is  ejected  therefrom,  and 
why  not?  These  who  have  observed  crops  and  vege- 
tation dry  and  shrivel  up  for  the  want  of  moisture 
can  only  realize  what  it  means.  Those  who  reside  in 
large  cities  have  no  comprehension  of  the  solicitude 
going-to-bed  and  waking-thoughts  put  upon  the 
matter  of  rain  in  agricultural  districts;  and  last,  but 
more  important,  the  denizens  of  a  country  sparingly 
watered,  or  the  ship-wrecked  mariner,  realize  it  to  be 
something  deserving  of  adoration  and  even  worship. 
'  Again,  the  trumpery  of  the  Indian  medicine  man, 
or  high  priest,  and  his  flummery  will  be  laughed  at; 
but  let  us  reason  a  moment  and  make  comparisons. 
Yes,  the  fool  (?)  Indian  doctor  sets  considerable  store 
by  his  medicine  bag;  well,  so  does  an  Allopathist,  Ho- 
Bteopathist,  Eclectic,  or  any  of  the  modern  school  of 
physicians,  carry  their  medicine  bag  (case)  wherever 
they  go,  and  without  it  they  would  be  at  sea.  Just 
consider  the  opposition  and  ridicule  heaped  upon  the 
followers  of  Mrs.  Eddy,  vrho  assert  that  mind  can 
control  disease,  and  those  who  are  broad-minded 
know  there  is  something  in  this.  But  the  illiterate 
are  the  ones  that  usually  condemn  advancement.  So 
what  is  the  difference  between  an  Indian  doctor  cur- 
ing his  patients  by  incantations,  which  work  upon  the 
mind  of  the  afflicted,  and  the  Christian  Scientist  who 
does  the  same  thing? 

At  this  period  in  the  world's  history  people  are 


PRESUMPTUOUS  MEN.  177 

prone  to  poke  fun  at  some  things  done  by  primitive 
man.  Let  us  call  attention  to  some  fool  things  done 
by  advanced,  educated,  smart  folks  at  the  beginning 
of  the  20th  century.  First,  take  the  abuse  of  the  body. 
Is  it  out  of  the  way  to  state  that  one-fourth  of  the 
world's  people  are  addicted  to  the  use  of  tobacco? 
And  of  all  the  stupid  things  it  is  this:  no  animal 
is  silly  enough  to  chew  the  nasty  stuff.  Are  there 
any  who  will  gainsay  the  fact  that  the  male  portion 
of  the  world  must  look  to  their  laurels,  otherwise 
they  will  not  in  truth  be  able  to  designate  them- 
selves the  **Baron''  in  law;  as  you  know,  formerly 
married  men  took  this  name  upon  themselves;  the 
wife  -'\vas  **Femme";  these  terms  really  meant  of 
course  that  the  husband  and  wife  were  one,  but  that 
Mr.  Man  was  the  one,  and  that  Mrs.  Man  had  very 
few  rights  under  the  law;  *'Baron,"  meaning  super- 
ior, and  **Femme,"  inferior.  It  appears  rather  pre- 
sumptuous for  law-makers  to  arrogate  to  themselves 
that  men  are  superior  to  women.  But  no  doubt  the 
idea  was  long  cherished.  "She  took  of  the  fruit  there- 
of, and  gave  also  unto  her  husband  with  her,  and  he 
did  eat," — this  for  thousands  of  years  condemned 
the  '* weaker  sex,"  (?),  considered  as  part  of  man,  and 
for  him  to  do  with  as  he  liked.  Who  would  think 
that  a  being  endowed  with  thinking  faculties  could  so 
tenaciously  stand  by  such  a  proposition;  but,  hallelu- 
iah, the  men  are  being  shown  in  true  Missouri  style, 
that  woman  is  the  equal  of  man,  except  perhaps 
in  b-ute  force. 

But  coining  back  to  some  of  the  various  wrcMig- 
doinffs  by  which  men  are  rninitLg  their  bodies.    Have 


178  THE  DAMNABIJE  aOARteTTR. 

you  not  seen  some  ninny  of  a  youth  smoking  the  dam- 
nable, death-dealing,  foul-killing  cigarette?  Have  you 
observed  the  awful  color  of  his  face,  the  gone-look  in 
his  eyes?  Ah,  boy,  boy,  for  God's  sake,  cease  thia 
awful  thing.  And  Mr.  Man,  the  youth  is  somewhat 
excusable  since  he  follows  in  your  footsteps;  but 
what  about  those  cigars  you  are  puffing  at  like  a  loco- 
motive, ruining  your  mind  and  body?  And  often 
worse  than  that — for  do  not  men  spend  on  themselves 
for  tobacco  and  other  stuff  funds  which  they  as  men 
ought  to  use  in  the  upbuilding  of  their  families? 
Also,  how  long  will  the  custom  prevail  by  which  a 
man  or  woman  must  be  forced  to  take  second  hand 
the  vile  tobacco  smoke  after  going  through  the  mouth 
and  teeth  and  nose  of  another!     The  vile  stuft! 

Did  you  ever  read  Bob  IngersoU's  lecture  on  the 
*'StiH"?  He  uses  language  behond  what  is  possible 
to  imitate  here.  But  the  drink  habit  of  the  world  is 
appalling.  It  is  safe  to  assert  tha^t  out  of  every  hun- 
dred persons  who  are  addicted  to  the  stuff  only  five 
per  cent  are  women.  It  unfits  men  for  the  battle  of 
life,  and  still  more  vital,  it  is  a  hereditary  evil,  for 
it  brings  human  beings  into  the  world  upon  whom 
the  sins  of  their  fathers  will  be  perhaps  stamped, 
transmitting  an  appetite  for  that  stuff  which  is 
the  curse  of  the  world,  and  over  which  they  have  no 
control.  The  man  or  woman  who  is  unable  to  govern 
their  unfortunate  longing  for  spirits  (devil  spirits) 
ought  to  be  taken  care  of  by  the  government  and 
cured  if  possible,  and  if  they  continue  to  persist  in 
wrecking  their  lives  should  then  be  shut  up  and  kept 
as  an  example  to  deter  others  from  doing  likewise.  Let 


A  MAN  UNMANNED.  179 

it  be  here  understood,  there  is  no  desire  or  wish  to  in- 
jure the  poor,  pitiable  creature  who  would  drink  the 
last  glass,  even  if  they  knew  they  would  die  the 
next  moment. 

Here  is  an  experience  of  a  lifetime,  and  it  is  true: 
A  dear  friend  was  drinking  too  much.  He  was  infor- 
;  med  that  if  he  did  not  brace  up  he  would  be  ruined, 
not  only  physically  but  financially;  this  he  assented 
to,  and  after  considerable  discussion,  insisted  on 
j8i)>njriT>g  hands  with  a  solemn  promise  from  that  time 
to  cease  its  use.  The  solicitious  friend  being  desir- 
ous of  displaying  his  feeling  in  the  matter,  said  to  the 
penitent:  "You  have  a  red  cow  and  a  red  calf  in  your 
pasture  belonging  to  me.  I  am  so  anxious  to  have 
you  straighten  up  that  instead  of  promising  you  a 
cow  in  the  future,  this  cow  and  calf  are  given  to  you 
so  as  to  seal  the  compact  in  red;  that  being  the  color 
of  whisky  and  beer,  it  will  remind  you  of  your  prom- 
ise whenever  your  eyes  see  them." 

About  a  week  after  the  above  dialogue,  a  man 
who  drank  to  excess  informed  the  temperance 
crank ! !  that  he  knew  of  the  cow  and  calf  matter,  but 
that  the  promiser  had  backsUd;  that  although  he  was 
a  drunkard  himself,  he  hated  a  sneak,  for  the  man 
was  trying  to  hide  his  fall  from  his  best  friend;  and, 
sad  to  tell,  the  poor  fellow  had  fallen  by  the  wayside, 
as  was  witnessed.  The  incident  to  this  point  has  been 
enacted  hundreds  of  thousands  of  times,  but  here  is 
another  part  of  this  incident  which  is  less  frequent: 

Concluding  there  was  no  hope  to  save  the  man 
from  himself,  a  last  resort  was  taken  as  follows:  The 
fallen  man  and  his  friend  were  both  members  of  a 


180  '    GOD  PITY   him! 

lodge  of  Masons.  The  office  of  the  one  was  '*In  the 
West,''  the  other's  was  **To  the  Right."  A  person 
who  belongs  to  a  secret  society  knows  that  it  is  usual 
for  the  presiding  officer  to  ask  sometime  during 
the  meeting  if  anyone  has  anything  to  offer  for  the 
good  of  the  order.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Masonic  lodge 
this  question  was  asked.  The  friend  of  the  fallen 
brother  then  arose  from  his  seat,  and  with  a  lump  in 
his  throat,  and  in  tremulous  accents,  pointed  to  his 
friend  and  brother  on  his  right,  and  m  the  presence 
of  thirty -five  members  told  the  story  of  his  dishonor. 
You  could  have  heard  a  pin  drop  in  the  room;  eyery 
man  was  affected;  all  were  sorry  for  their  weak 
brother  and  were  willing  to  show  their  interest  in  ihe 
welfare  of  him  who  could  not  govern  his  appetite. 
There  was  no  equivocation,  but  he,  with  cheeks 
bathed  in  tears,  admitted  his  faults  and  told  of  his 
burning  desire  to  desist  from  the  use  of  all  intoxi- 
cants. So  he  was  taken  to  the  altar,  his  hands  placed 
ui)on  the  Holy  Bible,  the  thirty-five  men  forming  a 
circle  around  the  altar,  and  then  the  worshipful  mas- 
ter administered  an  obligation  which  was  repeated  by 
the  penitent  brother  as  follows:  ''I,  *Hiram  Adrift,' 
of  my  own  free  will  and  accord,  in  the  presence  of 
Almighty  Grod  and  the  brothers  here  assembled,  do 
hereby  and  hereon  promise  and  solemnly  swear  that 
from  this  time  and  henceforth  I  will  not  drink  any  in- 
toxicating liquors  of  any  description,  binding  myself 
by  no  less  penalty  than  that  of  losing  the  respect  of 
my  brothers  here  assembled,  as  well  as  the  condem- 
nation of  all  good  men.  So  help  me  God,  and  keep 
me  steadfast.    And  in  token  of  this  solemn  obligation 


MEN   DETERIORATING.  181 

I  here  kiss  the  Iloly  Bible  before  me."  To  which  the 
brothers  responded:  *'We  witness  the  pledge."  But 
sad  to  relate,  before  ten  days  had  passed,  the  man  had 
again  fallen,  notwithstanding  the  solemn  engagement 
he  hod  entered  into.     God  pity  him! 

There  are  other  things  besides  tobacco  and  drink 
which  are  causing  the  male  sex  to  deteriorate.  They 
know  what  it  is  without  putting  it  into  print.  So  is 
there  any  wonder  that  on  account  of  these  vicious 
habits  on  the  part  of  the  progenitors  of  the  human 
species,  the  *'New  Woman"  is  coming  to  the  front  in 
commercial  activities,  literature,  in  *'belles  lettres," 
etc.?  Ask  any  bank  which  has  a  lady  clerk  or  cashier 
concerning  her  ability  and  integrity;  scan  the  news- 
papers for  defalcations  and  pilfering  from  employers, 
notinr^  how  few  women  become  notorious  for  graft  or 
embezzlement,  then  say  that  woman  is  not  man's 
equal,  if  you  dare! 

Again:  Do  you  not  observe  those  magnificently 
formed  young  girls  of  from  thirteen  to  eighteen  years 
of  age,  who  are  making  toward  school?  Note  their 
carriage,  the  symmetry  of  their  bodies,  and  scan 
their  intelligent,  bright,  smiling  faces,  and  observe 
the  neat  manner  in  which  the  hair  is  dressed,  and  the 
cleanliness  of  their  attire.  And  then  look  at  the 
average  boy;  slouchy,  going  along  apparently  aimless. 
Of  all  arguments  in  support  of  the  contention  here 
made,  you  have  only  to  see  the  statistics  of  the  women 
graduates  from  our  institutions  of  learning  and  com- 
pare them  with  the  men  graduates.  The  truth  must 
ho  ^^ld,  that  women  are  taking  the  honors,  and  it 
co'.nonstrates  that  they  are  the  peers  of  men. 


182  NEAR   MANHATTAN,  KANSAS. 

"  But  the  sun  is  reaching  the  horizon  in  the  west, ' 
so  we  must  proceed  toward  the  chief's  village  east  of 
Manhattan.  This  is  done  amidst  songs,  laughter  and 
music  by  the  band,  consisting  of  "drums  and  pipes, 
something  like  flutes,  of  which  they  have  a  great 
many."  Upon  arriving  at  the  village  our  party  are 
giyen  huts  to  hve  in,  and  Monte  and  Ysopete  are  veri- 
table **Sancho  Panzas,"  and  Alonso  is  their-^^^'^Don 
Quixote.'!  .Monte  fairly  worships  the  young  Span- 
iard, and  sings  his  praises  all  the  time,  because  of  his 
being  the  only  one  that  can  talk  with  the  people,  and 
also  Ysopete  being  quite  a  character  in  the  eyes  of  his 
own  folks,  for  he  has  had  experiences  which  few  of 
his  countrymen  had  gone  through.  Ysopete  had  no 
lack  of  sweethearts,  for  he  is  a  young  warrior  of 
average  looks,  and  the  additional  pohsh  he  acquired 
from  his  contact  with  civilized  people  naturally  makes 
the  expression  on  his  face  more  attractive,  and,  more 
tiian  that,  he  is  nearing  home,  and  soon  expects  to 
see  the  **girl  he  left  behind  '* 


TWELFTH. 

Quivira,  Quivira,  beautiful  Quivira, 
How  those  of  her  domain  admire  her! 
Her  dower  is  the  sunflower, 
Its  power  all  others  overtower. 

The  sun,  it  ever  keeps  in  sight, 
Following  him  from  morn  till  night 
Leading  all  others  because  of  right, 
Displaying  its  superiority  and  might. 

I'Y  ERETOFORE  the  name  of  J.  T.  Brower 
H  has  not  been  mentioned.  It  is  meet  that 
H  his  name  should  be  recorded  in  this 
M  book,  because  his  splendid  ©works  on 
**Quivira"  has  made  it  possible  to  study 
the  location  of  the  various  Indian  villages  that  are  be- 
ing mentioned,  and  it  would  afford  great  pleasure  if 
necessary  funds  might  be  had  so  that  this  work  could 
be  illustrated  with  the  beautiful  photo-engravings 
with  which  his  books  are  so  profusely  interspersed. 
Within  a  radius  of  ten  miles  around  Manhattan  four- 
teen Indian  villages  have  been  located;  six  of  them 
are  alon^  the  Republican  river  and  only  average  two 
miles  apart;  about  twelve  miles  due  south  of  Manhat- 
tan are  four  more,  a  mile  or  so  apart;  these  are  called 
^'Elliot  Village  Sites,"  named  after  the  gentleman 
who  uiscovered  tiiem.     All  over  this  territory  consid- 


184  QmVIRA  inSTORICAL  SOCIETY.,      '  ^ 

erable  research  has  been  made;  the  opening  of  Indian 
graves  and  mounds,  and  findmg  therem  many  stone 
implements,  such  as  arrow-heads,  knives,  scrapers, 
spear-heads,  tomahawks,  mill-stones,  axes,  hammers, 
etc.,  all  of  flint;  also  bones  of  birds,  and  shell  beads, 
shell  ornaments,  pottery,  bone  fish  hooks,  all  of  these 
articles  in  plenty,  illustrations  of  these  being  given  in 
J.  V.  Brower's  book.  There  are  other  i)ersons  v/ho 
ought  to  receive  the  credit  due  them  for  their  ear- 
nestness and  devotion  in  assisting  to  unravel  the  his- 
tory of  the  early^settlers  of  the  State  of  Kansas.  The 
Griflin  sites  on  Wild  Cat  creek  in  Riley  county; 
Keagy-Schmidt-Palenske  sites  on  Mill  creek,  Wabaun- 
see county;  Henderson's  site  on  Smoky  Hill  river, 
also  an  Udder  site;  these  delving  gentlemen  with 
many  others  too  numerous  to  mention  here,  and  also 
particularly  Professors  Mudge  and  Goodnow  of  the 
Kansas  State  Agricultural  College,  deserve  to  have 
their  names  go  down  to  posterity  for  banding  them- 
selves together  and  perfecting  the  Quivira  Historical 
Society.  The  people  of  our  State  ought  to  be  in- 
formed of  the  interest  taken  by  the  progressive  and 
scholarly  gentlemen  of  Riley  county,  who  so  inter- 
ested themselves  in  doing  something  substantial  that 
they  raised  funds  which  to  erect  a  beautiful  marble 
monument  to  perpetuate  the  remarkable  historical 
event  of  the  thirty-six  Si>aniards  being  where  Man- 
hattan is  now  located  367  years  ago.  Stress  is  put 
upon  the  fact  of  this  block  of  stone  as  it  will  impress 
the  reader  of  the  truth  of  this  story.  The  follow- 
ing is  what  is  engraved  on  the  tablet:     .  'n^.    ',    , 


MONUMENT  AT  MANHATTAN  \^    185 

HAEAHEY 
Governed  by        '.  - 
CHIEF  TATARRAX. 


Discovered  by 

CORONADO 

1541. 


Re-discovered 
By 

J.  V.  brower; 

1896. 


Erected  by 
W.  J.  Griffin, 

and 
F.  B.  Elliott. 

On  the  otlifer  side  of  the  monument  is: 

For 

QUIVIRA 

HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

1904. 

Kansas, 

U.  S.  A. 


186  .  .  INDIANS  DRINK  HOT  BLOOD,  i 

The  villages  or  cities  heretofore  named  are  sa^ 
prominent  and  afford  such  unmistakable  evidence  of 
their  existence   that  it  bears  out  the  assertions  of 
Turke  and  Ysopete  relative  to  the  province  of  Quivira 
being  thickly   settled;  in  fact,  all  over  this  part  of 
Kansas  a  great  number  of  village  sites  have  been 
located.    No  doubt  Ysopete  v^as  quite  sincere  in  his 
-contention  of  the  greatness    of  his  own  nation.  *  It 
was  his  home,  and  comparing  the  inhabitants  of  this 
territory  with  those  occupying  the  plains  between  Ci- 
bola and  here,  they  were  comparatively  civilized,  for 
the  Querechos  Indians,  as  well  as  the  Teyas  tribe,  so  \ 
often  mentioned  by  Coronado  and  others,  were  met  i 
over  a  large  expanse  of  country.     They  seemed  to 
have  no  settled  habitation,  but  followed  herds  of  buf- 
falo, camping  among  the  immense  droves;  no  doubt, 
their  sole  and  only  aim  in  life  being  to  live,  and  their 
view  of  life  was  not  as  changeable  as  the  kaleidoscope, 
the  acme  of  their  epicurean  appetites  being  a  good, 
live  rump  steak  from  a  freshly  kiUed  buffalo,  washed 
down  with  nice  hot  blood,  and  as  the  old  Spaniards 
told:  their  relish  was  to  take  an  intestine  between  the 
teeth  and  with  their  knife  cut  off  a  good  mouthful, 
bolting  same  without  mastication.     It  is  authorita- 
tively stated  that  in  Abyssinia  the  natives   are  ad- 
dicted to  cutting  a  live  steak  from  the  rump  of  their 
ivork  oxen  and  sewing  up  the  wound  so  it  will  heal, 
and  who  knows  otherwise,  for  the  purpose  to  furnish 
another  fry! 

.These  reamers  of  the  plains  of  Texas,  Indian 
Territory  and  part  of  Kansas  were  several  degrees 
removed  from  the  Kansas,  Osage  and  Pawnee  Indians. 


:  THE  PADOUCAS.  ^  187 

These  cLililren  of  the  prairies  had  no  villages  of  any 
importance  as  far  as  recorded.  The  Spaniards  not 
only  make  mention  of  the  Padoucas,  but  they  record 
many  things  concerning  these  Indians,  also.  Without 
doubt  they  were  permanently  settled  in  the  central 
and  west  part  of  Kansas.  They  are  prominently 
named  by  Marquette  in  1673;  Du  Tissenet,  a  young 
Canadian,  who  was  in  Kansas  in  1719,  actually  visited 
them;  also  in  1721  Du  Tissenet  stated  that  they  had  a 
large  village  at  the  head  of  the  Smoky  Hill  river 
which  he  visited.  History  says  of  these  people:  /*In 
J  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  the  Padouca 
nation  was  divided  into  several  tribes,  claiming  the 
country  from  the  headwaters  of  the  northern  fork  of 
the  Kansas  river,  then  south  nearly  to  the  Spaniards 
of  New  Mexico.  On  the  map  of  Charlevoix  the  Kan- 
sas river  is  called  the  Padouca  river,  and  the  same  on 
that  of  Du  Pratz,  (on  which  the  region  afterwards  em- 
bracing the  Kansas  territory  was  evidently  drawn.) 
The  Padouca  villages  are  located  at  the  sources  of 
both  forks  of  the  Kansas  river,  and  also  on  the  Arkan- 
sas, u  The  Padoucas  belong  to  no  one  of  the  great  In- 
dian families.  They  were  of  an  unknown  race  and 
language,  with  habits  in  many  respects  dissimilar  to 
that  of  any  other  nation.  Their  villages  instead  of 
being  heterogeneously  thrown  together — a  confused 
mass  of  lodges — were  laid  out  regularly  with  streets 
that  form  squares  as  in  a  modern  city.  The  houses 
were  neatly  built,  and  the  Indians  in  intelhgence  and 
habits  of  living,  rank  higher  than  the  more  eastern 
tribes  with  whom  they  were  almost  constantly  at 
war.    Of  their  history  after  the  visits  of  the  French 


188  THE  PADOUCAS  BECOME  EXTINCT. 

during  the  first  quarter  of  the  18th  century  little  is 
known.  Whether  the  tribe  toward  the  east  united 
with  the  Pawnees  for  their  destruction,  or  whether 
disease  did  its  fatal  work  among  tliem,  is  only  a  mat- 
ter of  conjecture.  As  a  nation  they  long  ago  disap- 
peared, and  the  roving  band  of  Kiowas  and  Kaskaias, 
whose  language  there  is  no  similarity  to  the  Dahco- 
tah,  and  who,  from  their  haunts  in  the  Black  Hills, 
long  came  down  to  hunt  in  the  region  where  the  Pa- 
doucas  formerly  lived,  are  supposed  to  be  the  last 
iremnants  of  the  great  nation  of  the  Padoucas.'*     i" 

At  the  date  of  our  story  the  Padoucas  dia  not 
dfikre  to  sho^  themselves  among  the  Quivirians,  for 
had  they  done  so,  they  would  surely  have  met  death, 
so  bitter  was  the  feud  between  them.  You  will  note 
what  history  says  as  to  the  manner  of  this  mysterious 
people  having  their  town  laid  out  systematically,  but 
this  cannot  be  said  of  the  village  on  the  Kansas  river 
near  Manhattan  where  our  party  is  now  stopping,  for 
Castaneda  described  their  houses  to  be  **round  with- 
out a  wall,  and  they  have  one  story  like  a  loft,  under 
the  roof,  where  they  sleep  and  keep  their  belongings. 
The  roofs  are  of  straw. "  It  was  the  hottest  month  in 
the  year  when  the  party  was  in  this  country,  and  by 
reason  thereof  it  is  nut  unlikely  that  the  natives  had 
taken -down  their  wall  so  as  to  permit  the  beautiful 
Kansas  breeze  to  pass  through  Alieir  shelter,  and 
these  walls  without  doubt  were  constructed  from  the 
skins  of  the  buffalo,  which  were  ea>sily  adjusted  ac- 
cording to  the  season,  and  the  roof  instead  of  straw 
was  long  bluestem  grass,  that  grows  as  high  as  eight 
and  averaging  four  feet  and  makes  excellent  thatching. 


CHIPPED  IMPLEMENTS  OP  FLINT.  189 

The  authorities  state  that  in  the  neighborhood  of 
]\Ianhattan  there  was  located  a  natural  armory,  con- 
sistin;?  of  material  fitted  for  all  kinds  of  edge  tools, 
a^d  so  necessary  was  this  flint  or  chert,  to  use  the 
lanf^uage  of  another:  *'The  remarkable  deposits  of 
bluish  gray  flint  found  in  the  neighborhood  sites  de- 
scribed, and  from  which  nearly  all  the  chipped  imple- 
ments of  the  region  were  made,  was  a  perpetual  invi- 
tation intensely  attractive  to  the  barbarians  who  de- 
pend upon  chipped  implements  for  the  arms  of  the 
chase,  the  weapons  of  war,  and  as  necessary  in  peace, 
and  the  supply  conveniently  available  about  the  fertile 
region  of  the  upper  course  of  the  Kansas  river  must 
have  characterized  the  locality  as  so  very  desirable, 
and  its  location  was  loiown  so  far  abroad  that  con- 
tending tribes  fought  for  its  possession,  with  herds 
of  buffalo,  fruitful  valleys  and  quarries  of  flint  the 
prizes  for  which  savage  man  staked  his  life." 

We  are  told  that  the  Indian  village  where  our 
troop  was  now  sojourning  was  visited  by  Major  Long's 
exploring  party  in  1820,  at  which  time  the  Indians 
were  in  possession  of  flint-lock  guns,  knives,  axes  and 
other  iron  utensils  obtained  from  the  whites,  but 
then  they  were  not  on  the  old  site,  but  a  mile  distant 
at  that  time. 

In  concluding  this  chapter,  the  following  are 
some  of  the  unusual  articles  unearthed  in  this  locality: 
Pottery  with  handles,  pipes  of  peculiar  pattern,  a 
piece  of  chain  mail  nearly  destroyed  by  rust,  skele- 
tons buried  in  sitting  posture,  flint  spades,  many 
beads  and  all  kinds  of  trinkets;  and  bear  in  mind, 
most  of  these  articles  have  been  discovered  under  the 
ground,  so  there  can  be  no  humbug  about  them. 


THIRTEENTH. 

'A  Kansas,  Osage  or  Pawnee. 
In  1541  were  a  sight  to  see; 
The  Kansans  were  tall, 
The  Pawnees  were  smalV 
TheOsagea  tallest  of  all.   , 

)R0!N'AD0  gave"  tlie people  of  Quivira  credit 
for  being  true,  kind  and  noble,  and  it  must 
have  been  so,  otherwise  the  thirty-aux  sol- 
diers, one  priest,  and  a  few  attendants 
would  never  have  been  permitted  to  leave  the  country. 
For  was  it  not  an  awful  temptation  to  such  creatures 
as  these  natives  to  see  the  strange  things  and  yet  not 
be  able  to  acquire  them?  But  no  suggestion  of  a  sin- 
gle wrong  done  to  our  party  has  been  recorded  while 
they  were  in  the  midst  of  the  throng  of  war -like,  un- 
civilized people.  Does  this  not  speak  well  for  the 
natural  fairness  of  these  aborigines?  And  let  it  be 
recorded  on  tablets  that  will  endure  forever,  the 
Sixiniards  must  have  treated  their  hosts  with  friend- 
ship and  equality.  If  the  general  or  any  of  his  men 
lost  a  single  article  by  theft  or  otherwise,  no  mention 
is  made  thereof.  So  there  was  the  most  friendly 
spirit  prevailing  on  both  sides,  each  vieing  with  the 
other  to  show  their  willingness  to  fraternize,  and 


A  SUMMER'S  RECREATION.  .  ,,    Wl      ' 

this  they  did  to  the  heart's  content  of  both  parties.  ' 

July  in  Kansas  is  a  trying  month;  it  is  hot,  and 
no  doubt  if  anything  was  more  so  then.  So  is  there 
^ny  wonder  that  the  commander  of  the  party  as  well 
as  the  soldiers  were  unanimously  in  favor  of  taking  a 
rest  and  seeing  some  recreation  if  possible?  And 
there  was  lots  of  it;  yea,  verily,  some  of  the  soldiers 
(soldier-like)  were  in  heaven  upon  earth.  They  had 
sweethearts  and  sweethearts.  There  was  something 
going  on  all  the  while,  for  the  Indian  chief  called  into 
the  city  or  village  all  of  his  warriors,  which  on  the 
•second  day  after  the  arrival  of  the  strangers  amount- 
ed to  about  2,000.  These  were  as  fine  a  specimen  of 
stalwart  young  men  as  can  be  found  any  place  in  the 
world,  perhaps  with  the  exception  of  their  kindred, 
the  Osage,  who  it  is  said  were  models  physically,  but 
they  will  be  introduced  to  you  hereafter. 

^  No  attempt  is  going  to  be  made  to  have  you  be- 
lieve these  Red  Men  and  women  of  tiie  prairie  were 
able  to  give  banquets,  but  in  their  rude  manner  they 
all  united  to  treat  ttieir  visitors  royally.  This  was 
done  by  the  hunters  of  the  tribes  constantly  bringing 
in  all  kinds  of  game;  then  the  women,  who  did  the 
menial  work  and  farming,  brcmgfat  from  the  rldi  nook 
along  the  stream  corn,  beans,  pumpkins  and  last,  but 
the  most  important,  luscious  (the  word  is  used  advis- 
edly), yes  luscious!  for  although  the  potato  Is  not  a 
fruit,  yet  it  is  the  most  valuable  and  palatable  vegeta- 
ble® known  to  man;  and  remember,  the  Spaniards 
knew  nothing  of  IMs  tuber,  for  at  this  early  period 
it  had  not  reached  Europe  and  did  not  for  quite  a 
time  after  v\^ard.    The  potato  and  maize  are  natives  of 


192  -THE  INDIAN  FAST  MAIL.. 

America,  and  Webster  says  that  Kansas  in  the  Indian 
language  means  potato;  and  especially  the  woods 
were  stripped  of  their  plums,  grapes  and  other  wild 
fruits,  which  were  very  palatable  and  acceptable ,  to 
our  party.  The  corn  had  reached  a  stage  in  its 
growth  when  it  could  be  ground  into  meal,  and  those 
who  have  never  eaten  corn  cake  made  from  this  have 
no  comprehension  of  the  nice  eating  it  makes,  so 
there  was  no  lack  of  rations  for  the  soldiers  and  their 
attendants. 

It  was  before  stated  that  the  Indian  runners  had 
sped  on  wings  to  notify  the  Osages  and  Pawnees  of 
the  presence  of  the  strangers,  and  although  it  was 
about  ninety  miles  distant  to  the  Osage  villages,  and 
about  the  same  to  the  Pawnees,  and  a  hundred  to  the 
largest  of  the  Kansas  villages,  then  located  near  Atch- 
ison on  the  Missouri  river,  which  was  known  by  the 
name  of  *'Tlie  Village  of  the  Twenty-four,"  yet  in  one 
day  the  news  was  carried  a  distance  of  ninety  miles, 
and  it  was  not  considered  a  remarkable  feat.  Here  is 
what  is  recorded  in  the  Indian  Book,  gotten  out  by 
the  United  States,  and  frequently  heretofore  cited: 
"A  Mohave  courier,  well  known  to  the  writer,  has 
been  known  to  make  the  journey  between  Camp  Mo 
have  and  a  temporary  camp  ninety  miles  southward 
between  sunrise  and  sunset.  He  would  eat  but  httle 
during  the  day  preceding  the  journey,  and  on  the 
morning  of  his  departure,  shortly  before  the  sum- 
mer's early  sunrise,  would  tuck  the  dispatches  or 
letters  in  his  huge  coil  of  hair,  and  being  clad  only  in 
breech-cloth  and  moccasins  was  unimpeded  in  his 
progress.    The  trail  lay  along  the  hard,  sandy  banks 


DEERFOOT 

Was  a    Seneca   Indiar).     Tb)e    origioal    picture    from 
which  this  was  taKer)  is  iQ  th)e  liistorical  Build- 
ing at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.    This  Indian  wasthe 
fleetest  runner  ever  known,  in  1861  he 
ran  12  miles  in  54  minutes 
and  56  seconds. 


IRON  RAIL  VERSUS  IKDIAN    TRAIL.  193 

of  the  river  terrace,  and  as  the  temperature  rose  dur- 
ing the  day  he  would  go  down  into  the  water  to  wet 
his  body,  and  then  resume  his  steady,  easy,  joggin^^ 
gait,  with  both  arms  brought  up  beside  the  chest,  the 
fists  being  clenched  and  held  almost  in  front  of  the 
breast  bone.  An  ins^nce  of  excellent  time  made  by 
an  Ojibwa  mixed  blood,  at  White  Earth,  Minnesota, 
has  been  placed  on  record.  The  Indian  referred  to 
was  sent  for  to  enter  a  race  against  professional  run- 
ners. He  left  the  plow  at  noon,  and  after  dinner 
walked  about  23  miles  to  the  place  where  the  race  was 
to  be  run,  and  next  morning  made  100  yards  in  ten 
and  three-quarters  seconds." 

Talk  about  transportation  in  modern  times.  Xt 
was  the  fortune,  or  rather  misfortune,  to  take  the 
train  from  Marysville,  Marshall  county,  Kansas,  in 
the  year  A.  D.  1907  for  the  very  spot  that  is  being  de- 
scribed, and  where  our  men  are  stopping  in  Quivira, 
Manhattan  in  a  bee  line  is  less  than  fifty  miles  from 
Marysville,  but  by  the  railroad  which  skirts  the  Blue 
river  makes  it  about  fifty-five  miles,  but  it  took  nine 
hours  for  the  journey;  then  make  comparisons.  Ah, 
and  this  express  (?)  train  carried  the  mail!  But  this 
demonstrates  the  superiority  of  private  ownership  of 
railroads.  j 

???????  ^ 
The  little  experience  above  recorded  is  not  an  iso- 
lated one,  for  many  of  the  roads  now  passing  through 
Quivira  have  *'no  ties  that  bind'-  either  the  rails  or 
the  public.  They  carry  the  mail,  accommodation  is 
frail  over  roads  that  fail,  causing  engineers  to  pale, 
passengers  to  weep  and  wail,  goods  to  get  stale;  but 


t94  SPANIARDS  ENTERTAIN  NATIVES. 

why  travail,  they  are  out  of  the  pale,  being  the  whale 
that  swallowed  U.  S.  head  and  tail,  but  will  it  prevail? 
It's  not  an  estate  tail;  future  will  tell  the  tale,  emi- 
nent domain  may  avail,  to  take  on  forced  sale,  but 
better  to  sail  over  its  own  rail,  built  by  the  people's 
bail.  ^ 

It  is  the  second  day  oi  our  exploring  party's  so- 
journ at  Manhattan;  they  are  being  feted  so  magnifi- 
cently by  Chief  Tatarrax  and  his  sub-chief  and  war- 
riors as  well  as  by  all  the  people,  that  Coronado, 
Aloiiso  and  Jaramillo  hold  a  council  for  the  purpose 
of  instituting  something  to  entertain  the  people,  and 
after  due  deliberation  it  is  concluded  to  hold  a  tourn- 
ament and  joust.  At  any  time  and  to  any  people  this 
sport  always  met  the  acclaim  and  approval  of  those 
witnessing  the  chivalric,  popular  and  dangerous  pas- 
time. 

Remember  this  is  1541,  so  take  your  mmd  back 
to  that  time  to  picture  the  custom  as  prevailed  then, 
for  now  it  would  appear  brutal;  but  comparing  it  to 
American  foot-ball  playing,  there  was  little  difference 
in  the  possibility  of  being  injured.  Of  course,  you 
all  realize  how  anxious  the  average  young  man  is  to 
be  in  the  team,  and  the  fact  that  there  is  danger  whets 
his  desire  for  the  fray,  and  it  was  likewise  with  the 
mailed  knights  of  367  years  ago:  so  when  the  com- 
mander suggested  the  tournament  it  struck  the  other 
two  very  favorably.  Then  Alonso  further  recom- 
mended the  winding  up  of  the  entertainment  with  a 
joust.  This  was  acquiesced  in  by  the  others.  Right 
here  some  authorities  have  to  be  examined  to  be  sure 
of  the  ground  which  is  being  trodden,  for  although 


KNIGHTS'    TOURNAMENT.  195 

the  vivid  description  of  a  tournament  avS  described  by 
Sir  Walter  Scott  is  called  up,  yet  so  dim  is  the  im- 
pression on  the  brain-slate  that  it  cannot  be  deciph- 
ered, so  plagiarism  must  be  confessed,  aslilngi)ardon 
for  doing  so. 

A  tournament  is  v^here  a  number  of  men  trained 
in  the  use  of  the  lance,  mace  and  sword  make  up  tv\;^o 
parties  of  usually  equal  number;  they  were  clothed 
cap-a-pie;  i.  e.,  from  head  to  foot  in  armor,  and 
mounted.  There  were  very  strict  rules  governing 
the  sport;  they  had  their  heralds  who  acted  in  the 
same  capacity  as  do  our  umpires  of  football  and  base- 
ball games.  Each  knight  or  horseman  who  took  part 
in  the  tournament  armed  himself  w"ith  a  spear  with 
an  attachment  on  one  end  about  four  inches  round 
made  of  wood  so  that  it  could  not  possibly  injure,  or 
rather,  penetrate  the  armor  of  his  antagonist.  Also 
they  wore  swords  which  had  no  cutting  edge  or  point, 
and  their  dexterity  v/ith  the  battle-axe  or  mace  was 
displayed  by  the  use  of  a  club  of  a  regulation  heft  and 
length.  The  horse  was  sometimes  encased  in  armor, 
or  barbed,  as  it  was  called,  but  usually  just  capari- 
soned, which  means,  had  a  cloak  or  cover  laid  on  the 
saddle  and  body,  which  was  frequently  made  of  heavy 
material  to  keep  the  horse  from  getting  hurt.  *  These 
clothes  would  frequently  be  very  richly  ornamented. 
When  all  is  ready,  one  troop  rides  in  one  direction, 
the  other  the  reverse,  until  the  regulation  distance  is 
reached,  when  they  turn  and  make  for  each  other  at 
a  gallop,  and  the  principal  thing  to  do  is  to  unhorse 
the  other  fellow,  so  the  staff  or  lance  is  held  against 
the  body.     They  usually  had  a  strong,  leather  belt 


:      198  HISTORICAL  TOURNAMENTS* 

with  a  thick  leather  attached  so  the  lance  could  rest 
and  avoid  hurting  themselves  when  rushing  into  anoth- 
er man  on  horseback  coming  in  the  opposite  direction. 
Some  acquired  the  knack  of  having  their  rest  when 
at  the  saddle,  and  a  jolt  from  this  having  the  momen- 
tum of  the  horse  as  well  as  its  superior  weight  come 
against  a  man  in  the  saddle  would  invariably  push 
him  from  his  steed. 

In  106G  when  WiUiam,  Duke  of  Normandy,  con- 
quered England,  he  is  said  to  have  been  one  of  the 
first  to  inaugurate  the  passage  or  arms  or  tourna- 
ments. However,  it  was  unknown  in  England  up  to 
that  time,  but  during  the  Crusade  period,  and  up  to 
1559,  or  eighteen  years  after  the  time  of  this  narra- 
tive, it  was  a  regular  pastime  for  the  elite  of  military 
circles;  but  in  1559,  Henry  II.  of  France  got  injured 
by  a  lance  breaking  and  piercing  his  eye,  which  caus- 
ed his  death,  put  a  damper  on  the  sport;  but  history 
states  about  the  time  of  our  story  tournaments  were 
frequently  held  in  the  Tilt  yard  at  Smithfield,  Lon- 
don, and  as  late  as  1S39  the  Earl  of  Eglinton  gave  a 
magnificent  entertainment  of  the  old  tournament  at 
his  castle,  wherein  many  of  the  nobles  encased  them- 
selves in  the  armor  of  their  ancestors  and  took  part, 
including  Prince  Bonaparte,  v/ho  was  afterwards  Na- 
poleon III.  of  France.  It  further  says  that  Lady 
Seymour  was  the  queen  of  beauty.  One  commenda- 
ble thing  about  the  old  tournament  was  the  rule  that 
none  tainted  with  crime  could  take  part;  also  no  man 
who  had  insulted  or  wronged  a  woman;  in  fact  none 
but  those  supposed  to  have  the  knightly  honor  of  a 
nol?leman  were  permitted  to  enter  the  lists.    The  re- 


\  JOUST.  197 

ward  to  the  victor  was  the  favor  of  his  lady  love;  if  he 
had  none  the  fact  of  his  being  a  vanquisher  of  others 
would  redound  to  his  credit  with  the  females  of  his 
acquaintance.  A  man  may  have  been  ever  so  brave, 
but  much,  if  not  more,  depended  upon  the  sagacity  of 
his  horse  as  upon  himself,  and  persistent  training 
was  given  the  animal  so  it  would  become  accustomed 
to  the  game,  if  you  hke  to  call  it  by  that  name.  The 
joust  is  an  entirely  different  thing,  although  resem- 
bling the  tournament,  for  in  the  last-named  it  is  troop 
against  troop,  whereas  in  the  joust  the  combatants 
engage  one  another  singly. 

Sir  Walter  Scott,  in  his  inimical  way,  tells  of  a 
joust  in  '*The  Talisman,''  where  Richard  Cour  de 
Lion  and  Saladin  are  on  the  plains  of  Palestine, 
both  mounted  on  beautiful  horses.  Richard  of  Eng- 
land, being  encased  from  the  crown  of  his  head  to  the 
tips  of  his  toes;  his  horse  well  protected  by  the  barb. 
The  Arab  or  Mohammedan  has  no  defensive  clothing, 
but  attired  in  light  silk,  his  only  weapon  is  the  cymi- 
ter,  or  a  crooked  half-moon  shaped  sword.  Then 
they  are  described  as  maneuvering  to  procure  an  ad- 
vantage, but  so  much  more  agile  was  the  Mussulman's 
steed  that  the  burly  Englishman  could  not  get  an  op- 
portunity to  wound  his  opponent,  but  the  wily  fol- 
lower of  Islam  frequently  made  passes  for  the  joints 
of  the  armor,  those  being  the  only  vulnerable  places 
where  he  expected  to  reach  the  flesh  of  the  enemy. 
One  thing  in  the  Saladin's  favor  was  the  hghtness  of 
his  "^equipment,  thus  giving  his  peerless  gelding  so 
much  better  chance  to  make  quick  turns,  for  which 
such  animals  are  famous,  and  although  the  mighty 


198  FJCnAKD  I.   AND  SALADIN 

and  world-renowned  warrior  made  fearful  liingos  at 
his  opponent,  yet  he  was  unable  to  phase  him,  and  so 
encased  was  the  Crusader,  and  what  with  the  weight 
he  carried  both  him  and  his  horse  became  so  harassed 
that  had  it  continued  the  odds  were  in  favor  of  the 
champion  of  the  prophet's  cause.  The  exax^t  cause 
of  secession  is  forgotten,  but  they  mutually  agreed 
to  discontinue,  whereupon  the  commander  of  the  In- 
fidel hordes  invited  the  Lion  Hearted  into  his  tent, 
treating  the  puffed  and  blowed  soldier  of  the  Cross  to 
Iced  sherbet,  which  no  doubt  was  very  acceptable, 
considering  the  warmth  of  his  body. 

The  famous  Scotchman  in  his  **Fair  Maid  of 
Perth''  immortalizes  himself  by  his  extraordinary  de- 
scriptive powers  in  a  joust  on  foot,  wherein  the  hated 
Southrens  were  met  by  an  equal  number  of  High- 
landers. A  boy  who  reads  this  historical  novel  (and 
every  boy  ought  to  read  all  of  his  works)  will  be  car- 
ried away,  so  much  so  that  he  will  neglect  his  study; 
but  God  bless  you,  my  son,  it  is  ennobling  to  read  of 
such  sturdiness  and  nobility  of  soul  as  displayed  by 
the  hero,  Harry  of  the  Wynd;  and  this  realistic  ac- 
count as  given  by  the  gentleman  of  Abbotsford  was 
no  pretension;  it  was  to  the  death;  and  further,  the 
author  bases  the  account  upon  facts.  It  would  be 
presumptuous  to  try  to  imitate  the  story  by  retelling 
it;  you  must  read  the  original  to  appreciate  the  thrill- 
ing nature  of  the  episode. 

Another  joust  must  be  noted  before  proceeding. 
It  is  the  one  which  read  as  boy  and  man,  each  time 
being  intensely  thrilled  by  Dumas'  * 'Three  Muske- 
teers."   Tlie  principal  character  is  a  youth  of  just 


D'ARTAGNAN   THE   MUSKETEER.  19& 

twenty-one,  who  was  reared  in  the  rural  district  quite 
a  distance  from  Paris.  His  father  was  a  renowned 
swordsman  in  his  young  manhood,  and  had  taught 
his  son  every  trick  of  fencing  he  had  acquired  from 
his  tutors,  as  well  as  by  actual  contact  with  the  blades 
of  his  numerous  adversaries,  with  which  he  had 
crossed  swords  in  his  lifetime,  and  his  son  being  a 
likely  fellow  acquires  all  his  parent  was  able  to  im- 
part, and  upon  reaching  his  majority  his  father  pre- 
sents him  with  his  only  nag,  which  is  dun  and  sorry- 
looking  and  thin.  With  the  horse  is  presented  his 
own  tried  and  true  sword,  an  ill-filled  purse  and  a  let- 
ter to  a  friend  in  Paris.  The  father's  parting  words 
to  his  boy  were  not  as  is  frequently  the  case:  "Get 
rich  honestly,  but  get  rich,''  but  told  his  boy  to  fight 
with  his  good  sword  at  every  opportunity;  be  right, 
but  fight;  and  D'Artagnan  surely  is  made  by  the  nov- 
elist to  heed  the  admonition  of  his  sire.  The  first 
night  of  his  arrival  in  Paris  he  is  sauntering  about 
the  city  after  night,  when  all  at  once  he  hears  a  slo- 
gan, then  the  next  thing  he  observes  three  men  being 
hard  pressed  by  a  superior  number.  Instantly 
D'Artagnan  draws  his  sword  and  without  a  word  ar- 
rays himself  alongside  of  the  three,  and  then  begins 
the  first  introduction  to  the  Three  Musketeers,  Athos, 
Porthos  and  Aramis,  who  are  veritable  Bayards,  each 
of  them.  Of  course  you  contemplate  the  result  of  the 
duel.  D'Artagnan  kills  several,  and  from  thence  the 
young  Gascon  becomes  the  protege  and  constant  com- 
panion of  the  Three  Musketeers. 

After  the  principal  officers  had  decided  to  hold 
the  tournament  and  joust,  it  was  submitted  to  the 


900  PKEPARING   FOU  THE  COMBAT. 

others  ot  the  party  to  get  tlicir  assent,  which  was 
heartily  given,  and  with  few  exceptions  all  desired  to 
take  part,  but  it  was  tinrJly  arranged  that  twelve  on 
each  side  would  be  the  practical  number,  or  a  total  of 
twenty-four,  Father  Padilla,  who  was  a  soldier  before 
becoming  a  priest,  consenting  to  act  as  herald,  choos- 
ing bis  own  assistants  from  the  men  who  did  not  take 
piurt  in  the  sport.  Ysopete  is  then  instructed  in  the 
necessary  arrangements,  which  are  requisite  to  the 
carrying  out  of  the  program,  which  is  set  for  two  days 
thereafter  so  as  to  give  the  men  an  opportunity  to 
prepare,  and  then  the  guide  goes  to  Chief  Tatarrax 
and  informs  him  of  the  wishes  of  Coronndo.  The 
chief  at  once  enters  into  the  spirit  of  the  matter  and 
concludes  he  will  give  an  exhibition  of  his  warriors* 
skill  in  the  various  sports  of  the  country:  so  hastily 
the  lieutenants  of  the  chief  are  called  into  council, 
and  a  plan  of  procedure  is  agreed  upon  which  is  to 
take  place  the  day  following  the  new-comers'  display. 
Now  all  is  bustle,  not  only  among  the  Spaniards,  who 
are  procuring  nice,  straight,  hickory  saplings  to  make 
their  lances,  but  swords  like  single  sticks  must  be 
improvised  for  the  joust;  then  their  armor  must  be 
polished;  in  fact,  the  best  foot  must  be  put  forward 
by  everybody,  both  red  and  white.  Word  is  hurriedly 
transmitted  all  over  the  country  of  the  coiiiiD':^  cere- 
monies, and  rest  assured  that  every  man,  won,  m  and 
child  will  be  present  within  fifty  mile;-  ^rom  ISianhat- 
tan  (except  Padoucas,  who  must  not  sLl-  v  themselves 
on  pain  of  death),  and  word  has  been  srit  up  the 
Blue,  up  and  down  the  Kansas,  to  bring  their  racing 
canoes,  as  there  are  to  be  prizes  awarded;  also  the 


PRIZES  FOR   THE  INDIANS.  ^1 

chief  has  it  announced  that  for  the  swiftest  ruaner», 
beat  bowmen  and  any  feats  of  irmgic  are  to  be  re 
warded,  but  the  prizes  most  coveted  are  the  ones 
which  Coronado  has  announced  he  will  present  to  tlie- 
best  all-round  marksman  with  the  bow  and  arrow, 
also  the  fastest  runner,  as  well  as  the  best  canoeist. 
The  bowman  is  to  receive  a  hatchet  and  a  chain  of 
brass  with  a  Spanish  half  dollar  attached  thereto, 
value  $2.50;  or  $3.00  to  the  fastest  sprinter,  a  sword 
with  the  scabbard  and  belt;  and  the  expert  boatman 
is  to  have  a  pocket  knife  and  some  unstrung  beads  of 
various  colors. 

Let  the  natives  take  care  of  themselves  and  we  will 
follow  Alonso  for  a  little  and  see  what  he  is  thinking 
about,  and  more  important,  doing.  You  have  been 
told  of  the  training  of  this  man,  how  he  has  from  boy- 
hood been  trained  jLn  every  trick  of  horsemanship 
known  to  the  Spaniards;  but  more  than  that,  from 
the  fact  of  his  girl  acquaintance  since  boyhood,  he 
has  come  in  touch  with  some  of  the  most  renowned 
Moorish  knights,  who  were  Arabs  and  the  acknowl- 
edged best  riders  in  the  world.  And  has  not  our 
hero  been  with  them,  ridden  their  spirited  steeds, 
and  learned  all  that  the  Moors  could  impart?  For 
they  liked  the  boy  because  of  his  respect  for  the  fair 
Moorish  damsel,  whom  we  now  understand  he  loves 
with  the  passion  of  a  Spaniard,  or  a  Frenchman,  who 
are  notoriously  ardent  and  heroic  lovers.  So  Alonso 
is  on  the  alert,  realizing  this  to  be  one  of  the  ordeals 
of  his  career  and  he  resolves  to  use  every  effort  to 
bring  credit  upon  himself,  so  that  she  may  hear  of 
it  at  home;  and  this  grand  thought  is  so  indelibly  im- 


202  PURITY  GflVES  SISKKNGTH/ 

pressed  upon  his  mind  that  it  makes  hardships  easy 
to  endure,  and  her  picture  so  obscures  the  faces  oi 
the  dusky  maidens,  causing  them  to  look  homely  and 
commonplace,  so  that  he  has  no  desire  for  their  com- 
pany, except  to  receive  their  smiles  and  attention,  aad 
he  having  their  adulation  because  of  his  gentle  treat- 
ment of  them;  and  this  he  makes  a  point  In  doing:  a 
smile,  a  twinkle  of  the  eye;  in  fact,  the  young  man  is 
by  nature  so  constructed  that  no  one  could  help  but 
be  attracted  toward  him,  especially  the  opposite  sex, 
but  even  the  men  all  revere  his  purity  of  acts  and 
thoughts.  This  element  of  character  must  be  taken 
into  consideration  when  sizing  up  his  fitness  to  enter 
the  Usts;  for  his  mind  is  not  running  after  false  gods, 
80  his  body  retains  all  the  elements  of  strength  with 
which  God  has  endowed  man.  Again  he  is  above  the 
average  for  strength  and  endurance,  for  has  he  not  a 
strain  of  Irish  blood  in  his  veins,  which  necessarily 
has  transmitted  the  qualities  of  endurance  and  stick- 
to-it-iveness?  *• 

Alonso's  horse,  like  its  master,  has  been  excep- 
tionally well  taken  care  of,  as  heretofore  recited,  and 
now  it  is  in  the  best  trim  of  any;  of  course  it  is  not  as 
strong,  and  does  not  have  the  staying  powers  as  it 
would  have  on  oats,  barley,  corn,  flax,  bran  or  beswsis; 
but  comparing  Babieca  with  the  other  horses  of  the 
troop,  a  glance  shows  it  to  be  the  fittest  for  a  trial  of 
endurance.  This  assured  fact  buoys  Alonso,  for  he 
is  fully  cognizant  of  the  importance  of  his  horse;  and 
another  advantage,  more  important  than  the  last 
named  is,  that  the  horse  has  been  trained  to  such 
work.     He  knows  from  experience  the  need  of  obey- 


HOW  TO  CARE  FOR  A  IIOKSE.  203 

ing  his    master  by  the  slightest  indication  of  the 
thighs  and  knees,  for  a  number  of  years  he  has  be- 
come used  to  the  clash  of  armor  and  accoutrements, 
whereas  on    the  other   hand,  all  others  have   only 
known  service  since  the  beginning  of  the  expedition, 
and  have  never  been  trained  to  such  an  ordeal  as  is 
about  to  take  place.     But  although  our  young  soldier 
feels  quite  confident,  yet  he  knows  the  necessity  of 
preparation,  therefore  he  instructs  Monte  and  Yso- 
pete  to  take  every  care  of  his  favorite,  and  to  grind  a 
few  ears  of  corn  each  day,  and  be  careful  not  to  feed 
too  much,  as  that  would  do  more  harm  than  good;  alBo 
he  tells  his  boys  not  to  let  others  know  of   their 
actions.    Alonso  superintended  the  currying,  or  rath- 
er the  rubbing,  of  his  pet,  but  there  is  one  thing  he 
is  in  a  quandary  about,  and  that  is,  his  horse  has  no 
shoes,  and  he  has  observed  how  easy  his  feet  slip 
from  under  him  on  the  grass;  and  it  is  a  fact,  if  a 
horse  is  used  on  the  prairie  without ''shoes  his  hoofs 
will  get  so  smooth  that  in  pulling  a  load  it  will  sosne- 
times  be   very   troublesome,  especially   to   start  a 
loaded  wagon,  so  our  second-in-command,  realizing 
the  disadvantage  he  would  be  at  because  of  his  horse 
not  being  sure-footed,  resorts  to  a  scheme  for  the 
purpose  of  roughing  up  the  hoofs,  so  he  has  Monte 
carry  water  and  empty  under  the  feet  of  the  animal, 
making  soft  black  mud.  This  is  very  beneficial  to  any 
horse's  feet,  but  for  the  purpose  desired  to  accom- 
plish in  this  instance  it  was  just  the  thing;  and  to  be 
on  the  safe  side,  the  hoofs  were  scraped  with  a  rough 
flint  stone  to  make  the  edges  sharp  so  they  would 
hold  to  the  grass.      In  the  Kansas  State  Historical 


fi04  ^HE  SECRET  OF  RIDING. 

Society's  collection  (one  of  the  finest  in  the  United 
States)  there  is  a  horse  shoe  made  of  rawhide,  which 
was  used  by  an  Indian  on  his  pony.  The  shoe  shows 
signs  of  much  service.     Another  important  thing  to 

Akmfio's  mind  was  his  girths,  for  they  must  be  abso- 
lutely reliable:  so  every  stitch  and  buckle  was  tested, 
and  if  any  doubt,  was  strengthened.  One  point  that 
would  continually  come  to  his  mind  was  the  lightnesi 
of  his  armor,  for  he  realized  that  should  a  tilt  come 
up  against  it,  the  possibility  was  that  he  would  get 
injured.  So  he  resolves  to  resort  to  expert  tactics, 
trusting  to  the  mane^jvering  of  his  steed  to  keep  him 
out  of  arm's  way.  Although  there  is  only  two  days 
!  in  which  to  prepare,  yet  every  advantage  was  taken 
of  the  interval  to  exercise  his  horse:  so  three  times  a 
day  Alonso  would  ride  away  from  camp  with  only 
Monte  and  Ysopete  with  him,  and  when  out  of  sight 
would  then  give  his  horse  some  pretty  severe  tests  in 
turning  quickly,  stopping  the  instant  called  upon, 
and  most  important,  to  have  the  animal  rehearse  the 
oft-practiced  knack  of  responding  to  the  sway  of  the 
body  of  his  master,  as  well  as  to  the  peculiar  motion 
or  pressure  of  the  legs,  but  which  can  only  be  under- 
stood by  going  through  a  series  of  years  of  horseback 
riding.  No  doubt  you  have  heard  how  the  Arabs 
train  llieir  horses  to  respond  to  this  inexplicable 
manner  of  directing  a  horse  by  the  motion  of  its  rid- 
er's body  instead  of  with  the  bridle;  perhaps  the 
western  cowboys  got  their  first  lessons  in  horseman- 
ship from  the  Bedouins,  but  this  is  doubted,  for^by 
intuition  this  peculiar  manner  of  guiding  a  horse 
comeb  with  practice.     If  a  man  or  boy  reads  this  who 


LIEUTENANT   PEREZ  IN   TRAINING.  205 

has  had  years  of  practice  in  the  saddle,  herding  and 
driving  cattle  and  horses  on  the  plains,  he  will 
know  the  truth  thereof  when  it  is  affirmed  that  a 
herdsman  on  a  well-trained  cattle  pony  will  tie  the 
reins  over  the  horn  of  a  saddle  and  with  whip  in  hand 
will  cut  out  a  single  animal  from  a  herd  without 
touching  the  reins,  the  horse  will  turn  the  instant  he 
feels  the  pressure  of  the  thighs  of  the  rider,  or  the 
sway  of  the  body,  and  so  proficient  do  both  rider  and 
horse  become  that  one  will  assist  tlie  other,  as  it 
were,  in  avoiding  the  sudden  shock  in  too  sudden  a 
change  of  direction.  As  before  asserted,  there  is 
something  remarkable  about  this  expeiiencc  in  rid- 
ing, and  cannot  be  appreciated  by  the  uninitiated. 

And  this  was  part  of  Alonso's  task,  to  train, 
toughen  and  teach  his  horse  not  new  but  old  tricks. 
It  may  be  interesting  to  learn  that  the  Mexicans  are 
now  conceded  to  be  the  most  expert  with  the  lariat, 
but  they  acquired  this  from  the  Spaniards,  who,  by 
reason  of  their  contact  vnth  the  Arabs  (Moors)  of 
Spain,  were  bold  and  experienced  horsemen,  so 
Alonso  had  early  been  taught  the  use  of  the  lasso, 
and  like  all  good  horsemen  carried  one  all  the  time, 
and  this  was  practiced  with,  as  he  expected  to  give 
an  exhibition  of  its  use.  While  our  ideal  character 
was  training  his  steed  he  did  not  neglect  his  own  per*- 
son,  but  took  a  plunge  bath  every  night  and  mornings 
in  the  sparkling  Blue  river.  It  was  a  busy  time  for 
all  parties,  what  with  perfecting  their  equipments, 
fitting  their  horses,  arranging  the  program  of  pro- 
cedure, gave  very  little  time  for  loafing  around. 


FOURTEENTH 

/  The  tournament  of  ye  olden  time\  . 
Is  here  revived  along  the  same  linS  _ 
Impressing  the  Indian  as  though  divine 
By  the  glamour  in  the  sunshine. 


T  MUST  have  been  about  the  25th of 
July,  1541,  when  the  wonderful 
spectacle  which  is  about  to  be  de- 
scribed in  this  chapter  was  enacted, 
It  was  a  beautiful  Kansas  morning 
(none  can  surpass);  thousands  of 
Indians  are  early  astir.  There  are 
those  from  the  Osage  villages,  many  from  the  Pawnee 
country,  a  few  from  the  distant  town  of  the  * 'Twenty- 
four"  near  Atchison,  and  even  some  Omahas  and  Mis- 
souris  are  on  the  scene  to  witness  the  ever  memor- 
able entertainment,  as  well  as  to  be  ready  to  take 
part  in  the  next  day's  festivities. 

Our  Spaniards  are  early  to  rise  this  morning,  for 
upon  them  is  the  day's  ordeal.  Every  man  in  our 
troop  has  put  the  best  foot  forward.  Armor  and 
arms  are  polished,  horses  are  made  to  look  their  best 
by  rubbing,  but  not  with  coal  oil  on  a  cloth  as  horse- 
traders  now  resort  to  for  tlie  purpose  of  making  a 


MILITARY  eyolutiok::.  207 

horse's  hair  look  sleek  and  smooth..  Alonso  has  given 
particular  attention  to  his  trappings,  as  well  as  to  his 
lasso,  for  he  intends  to  manipulate  the  same  accord- 
ing to  the  program  agreed  upon.  The  chief  at  the  re- 
quest of  his  august  visitors  has  stretched  ropes  of 
rawhide  so  as  to  keep  the  immense  throng  back  and 
give  opportunity  for  carrying  on  the  exhibition,  and 
on  the  beautiful  Kansas  river  bottom  a  suitable  spot 
has  been  selected. 

The  sun  is  quite  well  up,  only  bein-C]:  about  two 
hours  from  noon,  when  word  is  passed  along  the 
mass  of  natives  that  they  were  coming;  and  now  com- 
mences the  exercises  of  the  day,  which  consists  of 
every  soldier  (thirty-five),  there  being  seventeen 
double-files,  with  the  general  at  the  head,  all  on  foot, 
marching  toward  the  grounds  where  they  are  first 
going  to  give  the  natives  an  object  lesson  in  European 
military  evolutions  by  troops  on  foot,  so  with 
heads  and  bodies  erect,  in  true  military  fashion,  they 
march,  march,  march,  keeping  perfect  step,  with 
their  swords  clanking,  harquebuses  on  their  should- 
ers, obeying  the  word  of  command  in  unison  and  with 
precision.  Now  they  are  in  perfect  alignment,  facing 
the  chief  and  principal  men,  then  the  various  evolu- 
tions are  gone  through;  but  first  of  all  the  **present 
arms"  was  promptly  given,  as  well  as  the  commands 
corresponding  with  those  used  at  the  present  day, 
and  for  about  half  an  hour  the  small  squad  went 
through  the  various  tactics  then  known  to  the  mili- 
tary. There  was  no  lack  of  appreciation  on  the  part  of 
the  spectators,  for  there  was  beating  of  drums,  blow, 
ing  of  buffalo  horns,  squeaking  from  reed-like  fifes, 


208  W  3PB0TACT.1!!   SUPKRW ATURAU 

»houfe3i^  laught<eFritt  factv^Mie  naUv3s  api>lauclcd  to  the 
entort»iner»lhe8w:bst'  ot>r^^at.  ^  ^ 

There  are  only  twenty-four  to  take  part  in  the 
tournament  in  the  afternoon,  so  that  leaves  six  horsea 
and  six  men  who  have  no  parfc,  so  it  has  been  ar- 
ranged to  have  a  horse  race.  The  six  men  stri]>i)ed  / 
of  their  soldier  gear  now  come  riding  out  toward  the 
race  course;  and  although  the  s]>ectacle  just  wit- 
nessed was  a  wonder,  yet  owing  to  the  people  having 
only  recently  seen  horses,  they  w^ere  carried  away 
when  they  saw  them,  not  that  these  six  animals  were 
anything  extra,  for  notwithstanding  they  were  above 
the  average  breed,  yet  the  llnest  liorses  in  the  world 
will  make  a  sorry  appearance  to  be  compelled  to  work 
on  grass  alone.  Of  course,  a  horse  will  fatten  up  if 
running  loose  on  the  plains;  but  if  taken  right  off  the 
range  and  compelled  to  make  a  hard  ride  or  drive,  it 
would  soon  play  out.  But  to  the  Indians  these  six 
flying  animals  were  marvelous.  Our  Spaniards  real- 
ized that  it  would  not  do  to  make  the  distance  too 
long  on  account  of  the  condition  of  the  animals,  so  the 
race  was  soon  over. 

But  now*the  fun  is  to  begin,  for  it  has  been  pre- 
arranged with  Ysopete  that  after  the  race  he  is  to  go 
to  Chief  Tatarrax  and  request  liim  to  select  young 
men  of  his  people  to  ride  the  horses  in  a  race,  the 
same  as  did  the  soldiers.  Then  the  bi^^  chief  harangued 
the  x^^^^plo,  voc]ferousl,y  announcing  the  kindness 
of  the  visitors  o.nd  extolling  them  for  their  skill,  but 
ends  hiv^  rjpecch  by  informing  them  of  the  olfer,  and 
requests  rill  those  who  desire  to  undertake  the  ordeal 
^to  present  themselves  before  him;  but  just  as  soon  as 


HORBB  RACB  ON   THE   PRAIRIE.  209 

it  was  anderstood  what  was  offered,  there  wa^3  hurry- 
ing and  urgfent  scrambling  to  get  to  the  front  by  h un- 
dreds  of  young  fellows,  for  let  it  be  recorded,  they 
knew  not  what  fear  was,  and  such  an  opportunity  was 
not  often  afforded  them  to  display  their  willingness 
to  participate  in  a  hazardous  undertaking,  for  so  it 
looked  to  them,  but  so  numerous  were  the  volunteers 
that  the  chief  was  in  a  dilemma,  so  turned  to  the 
other  chiefs  and  announced  that  he  had  a  solution  of 
the  difficulty,  and  then  informed  all  the  people  that 
he  had  concluded  to  designate  his  youngest  son  ?is  a 
representative  of  his  own  i)eople,  but  recommended 
that  the  chief  men  of  the  tribes  present  be  permitted 
to  appoint  a  rider,  so  the  Osages,  Pawnees,  Missouris 
and  Omahas  each  named  one;  but  one  horse  <^till 
lacked  a  rider.  At  this  juncture  an  old  chief  whis- 
pered to  Tatarrax  to  let  all  the  young  men  who  were 
before  him  race  and  see  who  should  have  the  oppor- 
tunity, so  hurriedly  arrangements  were  made  for  the 
race  of  the  "Six  Hundred,"  but  there  was  more  room 
than  there  was  for  the  charge  of  that  many  at  Bala- 
klava,  the  distance  being  a  mound  pointed  out  by  the 
Sachem  about  a  mile  away  where  they  were  in- 
structed to  make  for,  the  necessary  judges  having 
been  appointed  to  see  fair  play. 

It  was  the  Spaniards'  turn  to  become  interested, 
as  they  never  had  and  never  will  again  witness  such  a 
sig^ht.  There  was  no  pre-arrangement  who  should 
win,  as  is  frequently  the  case  with  modern  racing, 
both  foot  and  horse,  so  every  man  and  boy  put  forth 
his  very  utmost,  and  there  were  in  that  company 
many  who  could  have  outstripped  the  celebrated  In- 


210  FOOT  RACE  ON   THE  PRAIRIE. 

dian  "Deerfoot,"  who  made  such  a  furor  all  over 
Europe  with  his  wonderful  endurance.  But  half  way 
toward  the  goal  the  contest  plainly  shows  that  only 
fifty  are  in  the  race,  and  upon  reaching  the  turning 
point  fifteen  are  about  the  number  v^lio  are  really  in 
the  contest,  and  most  of  the  others  stop  and  look  on; 
and  now  there  is  a  battle  royal,  for  these  young 
bloods  each  know  his  caimcity  and  has  faith  that  he 
can  win,  so  a  fearful  pace  is  kept  ui3  toward  the  hom- 
ing; gradually  a  few  draw  away,  and  eighty  rods  (one- 
fourth  mile)  from  the  finish  four  only  are  neck  and 
neck.  They  fairly  fly,  on,  on;  neither  of  the  boys 
seem  to  be  able  to  forge  ahead,  but  the  pride  of  a 
young  Indian  from  the  distant  great  city  of  the  Twen- 
ty-four seems  to  fairly  give  him  wings.  The  thought 
flashes  through  his  brain  how  he  can  take  for  his 
**fetich  or  medicine"  the  flying  animal;  if  he  can  only 
v/ln  the  race  and  then  have  the  opportunity  to  mount 
the  big  elk  without  horns!  These  grand  Indian 
desires  in  mind,  and  his  ambition  to  have  the  right  to 
use  such  a  medicine  all  his  life,  impelled  him  forward 
the  necessary  distance  to  make  him  the  victor,  amid 
the  tumultuous  applause  of  the  Europeans  in  their 
customary  manner  and  the  Indians  by  stomping  their 
feet  and  jumping  up  and  down  while  chanting  some 
words  in  unison  with  their  feet. 

But  Ysopete  is  more  elated  than  any  present,  for 
this  eighteen-year-old  boy  is  from  his  home  city;  he 
kno.vs  his  father  and  mother;  so  contrary  to  the  cus- 
tom of  the  Indian,  for  like  the  Greeks  of  old,  they 
cultivate  an  austerity  of  expression  and  actions,  for 
to  the  Indian  it  is  effeminate  to  give  way  to  emotion, 


A  laAUGHABL-B  SPHCTACliB.  211 

but  by  Ysopote  coming  in  contact  with  the  Spaniards 
same  of  the  webs  had  been  removed  from  his  brain, 
so  he  does  not  hesitate  to  hug  the  young  victor,  and 
scrape  the  beads  of  perspiration  from  his  body;  in 
fact,  being  a  professional  runner  of  liis  clan,  he  iB  an 
ideal  trainer,  and  knowing  from  experience  the  strain 
which  such  an  ordeal  puts  upon  the  body  he  uses  ev- 
ery known  means  to  fit  the  young  fellow  for  his 
maiden  ride  on  horseback.  The  soldiers  have  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  taking  oH  the  saddles  so  as  to  make 
it  more  difficult  for  the  novices. 

And  now  the  six  horses  are  ready  for  the  start. 
It  would  make  a  Tod  Sloan,  Johnny  Reece  or  Danny 
Maher  crack  their  sides  with  laughter  to  have  seen 
the  ludicrous  appearance  of  these  six  jockeys;  but 
after  most  of  them  losing  their  balance  they  finally 
get  started.  They  are  supposed  to  go  toward  a  pole, 
to  ride  around  it,  then  to  return  to  the  starting  place. 
But,  Lord  bless  you!  owing  to  the  reins  being  jerked 
and  the  wrong  line  pulled  the  poor  animals  did  not 
know  what  to  do;  some  stopped,  and  in  doing  so,  came 
down  from  a  gallop  to  a  trot.  Those  who  understand 
this  know  how  easy  it  is  to  ride  on  a  lope,  but  to  be 
brought  up  suddenly  to  a  trot  causes  one  to  either 
lose  his  balance  and  slide  ofH,  or  else  the  next  thing  is 
to  grab  around  the  horse's  neck,  thus  losing  control 
of  the  horse's  head,  which  usually  gets  an  amateur 
into  trouble.  Finally  one  reaches  the  pole,  and  being 
so  tickled  ho  gives  a  yell  of  satisfaction  which  so 
scares  his  steed  that  it  gathers  the  bit  in  its  mouth 
and  makes  a  bolt  that  is  a  race  indeed.  And  now  this 
rider  can  easily  keep  his  seat,  for  just  so  long  as  a 


212  FUN  FOR  THE  INDIAN3. 

horse  goes  straight  ahead  on  a  dead  run  it  is  no  trick 
to  stick  on,  and  although  the  young  fellow  is  not  in 
the  race,  yet  he  is  in  heaven  on  horsehack.     And  now 
up  comes  another,  but  in  trying  to  guide  his  racer 
around  the  staff  he  pulls  the  wrong  rein,  thereby  turn- 
ing the  horse  away  from  tlie  turning  place,  which 
g^ives  the  third  horse  a  chance  to  get  around  the  pole. 
And  this  third  son  of  the  prairie  is  a  young  Pawnee, 
and  so  far  has  made  the  best  shovvin;j^.     The  reason 
for  this  is  tlie  fact   that   at  home  he  has  a  yowa^ 
buffalo  calf  which  he  has  been  training  to  ride,  and 
although   the    young    bull  nature    of    the   creature 
will  come  out,  our  young  Pawnee  will  stick  on  until  ■ 
the  animal  will  put  its  heai  to  the  ground  and  fairly 
turn  a  somersault,  so  the  young  acrobat  i^^  compelled^ 
to  dismount,  or  rather  cannot  help  being  dumped; 
.  but  this  experience  gives  him  an  advantage  over  Ms 
fellows.    But  what  of  the  other  three?  One  has  lost 
control  of  his  horse  entirely,  for  upon  losing  his  bal- 
ance he  slid  off,  and  in  trying  to  save  himself  let  go 
the  reins,  and  naturally  the  horse  could  not  stop  ow-, 
ing  to  its  being  on  a  fast  run;  then  the  other  is  in  al 
plight,  having  been  jolted  oil,  but  still  holds  to  ihe^ 
bridle  but  cannot  get  upon  his  feet;  so  he  is  heimg' 
dragged  along  but  hangs  on  like  grim  death,  without* 
knowing  what  to  do  until  finally  the  horse  stops  ^hen 
the  young  fellow  being  full  of  nerve  tries  to  scramble 
upcwa  the  horse,  which  is  a  leggy  animal,  and  having 
no  experience  takes  some  time  before  he  succeeds  in 
mounting.     In  fact,  the  young  Pawnee  is  on  his  way 
to  the  winning  post  before  he  regains  the  back  of  his 
horse.    The  other  unfortunate  is  the  winning  foot- 


WESTERN  INDIANS  FIIiST  lUDSRS.  ^13 

'3' 

racer,  but  he  happens  to  have  one  of  tiiose  class  of 
horses  which  is  not  comfortable  for  even  a  good 
horseman  to  ride,  especially  barebaclc,  as  the  saying 
is:  **He  came  down  like  a  thousand  of  bricks,  and  the 
rider  works  his  i>assage,"  which  signifies  that  he  is  a 
hard  rider,  for  every  time  his  forefeet  come  down 
when  on  a  gallop  it  gives  his  rider  a  jerk,  which  fairly 
shakes  one's  insides  out  of  place,  and  when  it  trots- 
well,  to  ride  such  a  horse  bareback  would  cause  the 
individual  to  lose  considerable  hide  from  an  unmen- 
tionable spot  in  his  body,  taking  quite  a  time  to  be 
free  from  the  reminding  sensation  every  time  he 
book  a  stride  with  either  limb.  The  antics  of  this 
last  contestant  cannot  be  described,  but  it  can  truth- 
fully be  stated  that,  altliougli  he  did  not  win  the  race, 
yet  he  showed  the  stuH  he  was  made  of;  he  had 
caught  on  to  the  trick  of  catching  the  mane,  and  with 
bhe  agility  of  an  Indian  he  amused  the  people  by  fall- 
ing off,  then  v/ith  a  spring  getting  back,  so  it  caused 
more  eclat  than  anything;  but  our  young  Pawnee  was 
about  the  only  one  that  got  fairly  back  to  the  starting 
point. 

Without  doubt  the  Coronado  expedition  was  the 
direct  cause  of  the  Indians  of  the  plains  becoming  the 
first  possessors  of  the  horse,  and  thus  long  before 
the  more  easterly  tribes  had  any  knowledge  of  the 
benefits  to  be  derived  therefrom,  and  the  trip  of  the 
indefatigable  Spaniards  367  years  ago,  with  the  great 
number  of  horses  and  mares,  many  of  which  the  pro- 
fchonotaries  of  the  expedition  admit  as  having  gotten 
away  and  never  being  seen  again.  Authorities  on 
horses  state  that  it  was  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VII.  of 


21-1  EAUT^Y   H:3T0UY  OF   IIOKSE3 

England  that  stallions  were  first  raado  into  gelJIngB. 
Henry  became  king  in  1485  and  died  1509,  so  dividing 
the  time  of  his  reign  it  will  be  conservative  to  say 
that  it  was  about  1500  when  first  the  gelding  came  to 
be  made  in  England;  that  is,  just  forty-one  years  be- 
fore the  date  of  our  horse-race  in  Quivira.  So  it  is 
very  reasonable  to  suppose  that  nearly  all  the  males 
were  in  their  natural  condition,  therefore  it  took  but 
a  very  short  time  for  them  to  increase,  which  is 
known  that  they  did  from  a  very  early  period  all  over 
the  plains  of  Texas,  Indian  Territory  and  Kansas. 

Here  are  some  things  which  the  authorities  say 
about  the  multiplying  of  horses:  *'In  the  thirty-sec- 
ond year  of  his  reign  (Henry  VIII.  or  1541,  the  very 
year  of  our  story)  the  bill  for  the  breed  of  horses  was 
passed,  the  preamble  of  which  runs  thus:  'Foras- 
much as  the  generation  and  breed  of  good  and  strong 
horses  within  this  realm  extended  not  only  to  a  great 
help  and  defense  of  the  same,  but  is  also  a  great  com- 
modity and  profit  to  the  inhabitants  thereof,  which  is 
now  much  decayed  and  diminished  by  reason  that  in 
the  forests,  chases,  moors  and  waste  grounds  within 
the  realm  little- stoned  horses  or  nags  of  small  stature 
and  little  value  be  not  only  suffered  to  pasture  there- 
upon, but  also  to  cover  mares  feeding  there,  there- 
fore Cometh  in  manner  no  profit  or  commodity.'  *' 

Another  section  of  the  same  statute  enacted: 
**That  no  entire  horse  being  about  the  age  of  two 
years  and  not  being  of  the  height  of  fifteen  handsf uU 
shall  be  put  to  graze  on  any  common  or  waste  land.** 
It  was  also  enacted:  ''Within  fifteen  days  of  Mich- 
aelmas Day  (September  29),  all  horses,  mares  and 


ENGLISH  STATUTES  ABOU":   HORSES.         215 

colis  fonnd  m  t'le  iorosts,  cn.Lses  ana  commons  snaH 
be  ^driven,'  and  any  found  not  growing  into  servicea- 
ble animals  shall  be  killed."  Further  the  horse  book 
says:  "In  Australia  as  well  as  America,  horses  im- 
ported by  European  settlers  have  escaped  into  the 
unreclaimad  lands,  and  multiplied  to  a  prodigious 
extent,  roaming  in  vast  herds  over  the  plains  where 
no  hco/cd  animal  trod  before."^  Have  we  not  ten 
years  a^o  knovv^n  of  the  range  horses  of  Dakota,  Wy- 
oming and  Nevada  becoming  so  numerous  that  the 
stockmen  were  compelled  to  take  their  Winchester 
rifles  and  exterminate  them?  This  was  because  they 
were  so  hard  to  break  to  ride  or  v/ork  that  it  did  not 
pay  to  bother  with  them,  especially  when  horses  were 
cheap;  of  course,  when  the  range  horse  brings  a  good 
figure,  then  many  of  them  are  sold,  and  after  being 
conquered  and  broke  they  are  the  toughest  class  of 
horses,  especially  for  riding  or  driving.  The  day  is 
not  far  distant  when  the  range  pony  and  horse  will  be 
known  no  more,  and  that  some  record  may  be  kept  of 
the  peculiar  characteristics  of  these  monarchs  of  the 
ranc^G.  An  incident,  the  truth  of  which  can  be  vouched 
for,  came  about  under  the  following  circumstances: 

A  ranchman  who  handled  considerable  cattle  and 
vrlio  had  four  strapping  grown  sons,  averaging  from 
eighteen  to  twenty-eight  years  of  age,  had  one  day 
some  men  bring  into  the  neighborhood  of  the  ranch 
a  drove  of  western  horses,  offering  them  for  $15.00  to 
$50.00  each.  Tlie  four  farmer  boys  bought  one  each 
for  cattle  ponies  (they  are  unexcelled);  they  were 
roped;  i.  e.,  lassoed  and  halters  gotten  on  them,  and 
now  the  sturdy  young  fellows,  were  quite  conceited 


216  PLAINS  HORSES  LIKE   TIGEHS 

that  they  could  break  and  ride  any  horse,  and  so 
the  f  ua  commenced,  as  these  animals  were  like  tigers. 
They  resented  ill  treatment,  a  known  fact,  for  the 
brutal  young  men  beat  the  poor  things  with  the  view 
of  subduing  them,  but  the  more  severe  the  usage  the 
more  vicious  became  the  nags,  and  finally  they  were 
such  terrors  with  their  kicks  from  behind,  striking 
with  their  front  feet  as  well  as  biting,  that  after  one 
or  two  of  the  boys  got  hurt  they  were  compelled  to 
acknowledge  being  beaten;  but  out  of  the  same  herd 
a  man  purchased  one  just  as  vicious,  but  he  got  it 
home,  fed  it  sugar  and  finally  was  able  to  pat  it  on  the 
neck,  until  the  animal  discovered  it  was  not  going  to 
be  hurt,  submitted  to  the  saddle  and  harness,  making 
an  ideal  cattle  horse  from  which  no  cow  or  steer  could 
dod;^e  or  outrun. 

So  the  fact  of  our  six  young  Indians'  first  horse- 
race boing  witnessed  by  thousands  of  natives,  and  be- 
cause of  the  stirring  experiences  of  the  lucky  six, 
naturally  fired  these  children  of  nature  to  hanker  for 
such  an  animal;  and  thus  it  was  that  the  plains  In- 
dians became  so  notorious  for  their  fine  horseman- 
ship and  love  of  the  useful  animal.  The  natives  of 
the  prairies  had  the  advantage  of  their  eastern  ene- 
mies because  of  their  superiority  in  covering  distances 
on  their  ponies,  but  the  Sioux  and  dwellers  of  the 
Great  Lakes  had  the  advantage  of  coming  in  contact 
with  the  French-Canadian  traders,  from  whom  they 
procured  fire-arms  and  steel  implements  *of  warfare^ 
by  which  they  were  able  to  more  than  outweigh  the 
advantages  the  western  Indians  had  because  of  their 
horses.     After  the  excitement  and  fun  created  by  the 


BTKBBT  PAIR  ON   THE  PLAINS.  '217.^ 

liorge-race,  a  number  of  the  Spaniards  displayed  tiielr 
marksmanship  with  their  muskets,  but  there  was 
nothing  very  extraordinary  about  it,  except  its  being 
incomprehensible  to  the  throng  of  spectators. 

One  point  had  been  fully  settled  by  Coronado  and 
his  officers,  that  they  must  not  comi>ete  with  the  na- 
tives in  any  of  the  sports  for  fear  of  exciting  animos- 
ity or  contempt;  the  first  might  be  caused  by  sur- 
passing, the  second  by  showing  inferiority. 

The  next  thing  on  the  program  is  the  display  of 
the  day,  and  now  begins  to  assemble  the  horsemen 
preparatory  to  the  ordeal.  It  might  be  good  fiction 
to  describe  how  the  horses  pranced  with  arched 
necks,  ears  pricked  up,  restless,  impatient;  how  they 
champed  their  bits;  but  the  reader  of  experience 
knows  better,  as  they  have  to  come  onto  the  ''Field  of 
Cloth  and  Gold"  in  an  ordinary  and  orderly  manner, 
considering  they  had  no  grain  for  some  time; 
yet  because  of  their  rest  since  reaching  Quivira 
they  are  in  i:)ratuy  good  heart.  It  has  all  been  ar- 
ranged as  to  the  procedure,  which  is  that  twelve 
on  a  side  shall  be  selected  on  the  field  of  tournament, 
therefore  the  two  dozen  horsemen  are  lined  up  facing 
the  principal  chiefs,  and  Father  Padilla,  having  been 
selected  to  act  as  herald,  is  standing  in  front  of  the 
troop,  making  a  strange  contrast.  He  is  in  his  black 
clerical  garb;  all  others  in  their  best.  It  has  been 
agreed  that  the  selecting  of  sides  shall  be  done  in 
such  a  manner  that  no  distinction  shall  be  made  as  to 
rank,  so  twenty-two  grains  of  white  corn  and  two  of 
red  corn  are  placed  in  a  helmet,  and  then  the  Father 
beckons  to  a  comely  Indian  maiden,  the  herald  in- 


218  RULES  OF   THE   TOURNAMENf . 

forming  the  first  horseman  to  the  right  to  make  the 
first  selection  to  constitute  the  troop  on  one  side, 
then  the  drawing  is  to  continue  until  the  other  red 
grain  is  reached,  the  contestant  procuring  same  hav- 
ing the  right  to  designate  who  shall  make  up  the  sec- 
ond company.  Then  the  Holy  Father,  to  make  the 
matter  comprehensive  to  the  young  girl,  tells  Ysopete 
to  explain  her  duties,  and  also  to  announce  to  the 
spectators  the  equality  with  which  every  man  is  to  be 
treated.  The  first  red  grain  that  comes  out  is  for 
Private  Truxillo,  the  other  fell  to  the  lot  of  Sergeant 
Maldonado.  Now  the  selections  are  in  order:  Private 
Truxillo  chooses  the  general,  the  sergeant  points  to 
Lieutenant  Perez,  and  thus  the  selecting  continues 
until  the  party  is  equally  divided.  Then  according 
to  the  rules  of  the  tournament  (which  were  much 
more  technical  than  the  Marquis  of  Queensbury  rules 
governing  prize  fights,  or  the  French  code  of  dueling) 
the  Herald  announces  the  manner  in  which  the  com- 
bat is  to  be  conducted,  as  follows:  The  first  thing  to 
do  is  to  draw  lots  for  place,  which  is  done  by  the  pri- 
vate and  sergeant.  Private  Truxillo  selects  the  west, 
which  gives  his  troop  the  advantage  of  having  their 
backs  to  the  sun;  then  the  herald  orders  the  company 
of  the  private,  which  has  in  it  Coronado,  to  proceed 
toward  the  west  about  half  a  mile,  where  stakes  are 
driven  in  the  ground  to  designate  their  alignment, 
the  others  are  to  go  towards  the  east,  making  the 
party  about  a  mile  distant  from  each  other;  so  they 
will  have  to  ride  about  half  a  mile  before  coming  in 
contact,  and  he  further  instructs  that  v/hen  each  party 
reaches  the  rendezvous  they  shall  liave  theii*  horses' 


NOW  FOE  THE  OPJDEAL..  219 

,1b0S>ds  pointing  away  from  their  adversaries,  so  when 
tte  dag  is  fired  they  will  have  to  * 'about  face"  before 
tbey  can  proceed  on  their  way  to  attack,  which  they 
ma,y  do  as  they  see  fit,  a  dead  line  being  drawn  on  the 
ziortih  and  south  over  which  neither  party  is  allowed 
to  pass  over  on  penalty  of  expulsion  from  the  contest 
in  dil^grace.  The  herald  further  proceeds  by  stating-, 
Iteact  after  the  horses  are  headed  toward  the  other  each 
party  must  keep  in  a  body  and  in  line  until  within 
Ebqiot  200  feet  of  their  opponent,  or  where  the  flags 
are  flying  in  the  field,  but  from  that  point  they  may 
eitlier  proceed  in  a  body  or  singly  as  they  choose,  and 
the  test  was  to  see  which  troop  could  unhorse  with 
his  improvised  lance  the  greatest  number  of  tiie  op- 
poaJBg  party,  and  once  a  contestant's  feet  or  foot 
toQohed  the  ground,  he  was  considered  '*hors  de  com- 
bat," and  immediately  must  vacate  the  arena  with  his 
horse;  and  he  further  informed  the  men  that  the  first 
attack  must  be  done  without  any  maneuvering,  but 
directly  in  front,  and  when  each  passed  the  other  they 
must  ride  at  once  to  the  goal  from  whence  their  op- 
ponents came;  in  the  meantime  those  who  by  the 
rules  should  leave  the  field  were  to  immediately  do  so. 
/And  now  comes  the  ordeal,  says  the  herald,  for 
after  those  who  are  entitled  to  remain  in  the  affray 
fi#e  again  in  hne,  a  shot  will  be  fired  as  a  signal  for  a 
J)idl-mell,  go-as-you-please  rush  at  each  other,  and  as 
l^se  who  become  unhorsed  must  desist  from  further 
p»rticii)ation,  but  the  remainder  to  continue  the  tour- 
namBnt  until  there  are  none  on  the  opposite  side  to 
attack.  **  The  Father  then  said  in  a  solemn,  warning 
nuanner,  that  this  was  a  test  of  friendship,  and  not  of 


230       TBO^SE  MOMENTS  FOR  THE  INDIANS. 

l>te>d,  admonishing  them  to  remember  the  necessity 
Ol  beis^  careful  not  to  maim  each  other,  as  they  were 
'%  few  among  thousands  of  strangers.  After  which 
the  man  as  a  Priest,  and  not  as  Herald,  knelt  down  in 
the  presence  of  that  throng  of  people  and  prayed  the 
Almighty  to  keep  any  from  being  injured;  and  asking 
for  his  blessing  upon  the  men  who  are  about  to  par- 
ticipate in  the  coming  ordeal. 

,^  The  command  is  now  givon  for  each  troop  to  pro- 
ceed toward  their  respective  stations,  and  v/hile  en 
route  are  arranging  the  form  of  attack,  and  the  selec- 
tion of  one  to  command.  Coronado  is  designated  to 
direct  the  one  party,  and  on  the  suggestion  of  Alonso, 
Sergeant  Maldonado  is  to  command  the  other.  Cor- 
onado's  twelve  decide  to  place  the  commander  and 
Jaramillo  in  the  center,  and  they  are  by  the  majority 
vote  to  endeavor  to  engage  Alonso  and  Maldonado, 
but  the  other  dozen  decide  to  place  Alonso  and  their 
<Jommander  three  horses  from  the  ends,  and  it  is  es- 
^pecially  agreed  that  each  man  is  to  choose  the  most 
! favorable  opportunity  to  unhorse  a  man,  regardless  of 
who  he  is,  the  reason  assigned  being  that  it  would 
^handicap  them  to  be  compelled  to  select  a  certain  op- 
iponent.  The  messengers,  who  are  running  backward 
«i^  forward  to  keep  the  herald  informed,  finally  give 
ithe  word  that  each  party  is  ready,  and  the  sound  of 
the  pistol  is  heard  vibrating  over  the  prairies;  but 
watch  these  men,  for  it  is  a  tense  moment  for  these 
twenty-four,  who  have  all  smelt  powder  many  times, 
yet  this  kind  of  excitement  is  more  trying  on  the  ner- 
Tous  system  than  going  into  a  real  fight,  but  they  are, 
and  in  fact  must  be,  intensely  in  earnest  to  acquire 


) 


LIKE  A  CaRCtJS  STKEBT  PAHADB,  221 

that  peculiar  sensation  which  impels  men  to  heroic 
deeds,  and  although  the  captain  of  Alonso's  cavaliers 
kept  admonishing  his  men  to  not  blow  their  horses  by- 
keeping  up  too  fast  a  pace,  yet  it  seemed  the  feeling 
of  the  riders  was  contagious,  for  the  horses  seemed 
to  become  excited  and  worked  up  to  a  tension  unusual 
for  them.  (But  then  these  sagacious  creatures  usually 
understand,  and  more  than  they  are  given  credit  for, 
as  was  demonstrated  at  the  late  San  Francisco  earth- 
quake and  fire  by  the  horses  in  the  stables  making 
heart-rending  cries  of  terror  during  the  quake.) 

On,  on,  nearer,  nearer  came  the  combatants  to- 
ward  each  other;  but  Alonzo  is  cool  and  confident, 
having  in  mind  his  motto  not  to  be  too  fresh  at  first, 
but  to  reserve  his  latent  powers  for  the  final  ordeal, 
so  he  took  the  first  opponent  reached,  and  so  easy  did 
he  avoid  his  thrust  and  planted  his  staff  right  in  the 
breast  of  the  man,  that  he  was  pushed  off  his  horse  so 
forcibly  that  the  ground  was  struck  with  a  thud;  but 
Jaramillo  seemed  to  be  desirous  of  getting  at  Alonso, 
for  in  the  rush  he  was  observed  trying  to  spur  his 
horse  toward  the  lieutenant,  but  by  reason  of  there 
being  several  between  them  it  was  impossible  to  do 
so,  but  they  are  passed  each  other  and  so  the  honors  are 
about  equal,  Maldonado  being  compelled  to  retire. 
But  the  other  side  still  have  their  commander,  as 
well  as  the  redoubtable  Jaramillo,  who  was  an  iron 
man;  but  Alonso  is  asked  to  take  the  place  of  the  de- 
funct sergeant,  so  it  now  devolves  upon  our  young 
Ivero  to  plan  the  next  mode  of  attack,  and  havin^^  with 
himself  seven  to  the  others'  six,  yet  he  feels  at  a  dis- 
advantage, because  of  the  experience  of  the  two  older 


222  A  GLOR  lOUS  PASTIME. 

meiiy  Coronado  and  Jaramillo.  But  realizing  the  re- 
sponsibility of  his  situation,  he  directs  Private  Tru  xillo 
to  select  another  man  in  whom  he  has  contidence  to 
assist  him  in  attacking  the  old  warhorse,  Jaramillo. 
Alonso  announces  he  will  see  what  he  can  do  with  the 
general.  ^Now  the  test  of  endurance,  horsemanship 
and  dexterity  with  the  tilt  is  to  commence  in  earnest. 
Each  man  is  to  select  his  opponent,  and  while  waiting 
for  the  signal  the  new  champion  admonishes  his  com- 
rades to  sit  firm  in  their  saddles  and  control  their 
mounts;  to  keep  them  steady;  he  himself  has  re- 
solved on  a  line  of  action,  which  is  to  rely  upon  the 
suiter ior  condition  and  speed,  as  well  as  the  training 
of  Babieca,  to  outstrip  the  other  horses;  and  to 
out-general  the  men.  So  he  orders  every  man  to  ride 
as  far  apart  as  possible,  except  the  two  who  are  to 
concentrate  on  the  redoubtable  captain,  and  he  tells 
how  he  will  make  a  dash  for  the  commander,  trusting 
to  his  horse  to  keep  others  from  reaching  him,  and 
realizing  the  general  will  not  avoid  him  when  he  rec- 
ognizes who  it  is  that  seeks  a  personal  bout.  Alonso 
feels  so  confident  of  his  ability  to  unhorse  his  supe- 
rior that  he  informs  the  men  the  instant  he  does  this, 
he  will  turn  his  faithful  gelding  and  be  on  the  re- 
turn to  assist  them  before  they  have  fairly  met  the 
balance  of  the  party. 

Again  the  signal  is  given,  and  now  for  the  chmax 
of  the  melee.  Off  rushes  both  sides;  but  soon 
Alonso  calls  on  his  Arabian,  and  now  like  the  wind  ha 
Is  being  taken  toward  the  object  of  his  ambition.  But, 
Coronado  divining  the  purjpose  of  the  yonng  soldieri 
Is  not  to  be  outdone,  and  he  also  havinif  a  stronir,  pow> 


THE  psi.L-:.isr.L.  RUSH.  223 

erf ul  animal  rushes  pell-mell  to  meet  his  antagonist. 
It  is  soon  over;  but  the  trick  of  the  trained  animal  is 
worth  more  than  the  power  and  massiveness  of  the 
other;  in  fact,  Coronado's  armor  is  many  pounds 
heavier  than  Alonso's,  so  he  cannot  handle  himself 
with  such  agility  as  the  other.  But  the  thing  which 
Perez  is  relying  upon  is  the  care  of  the  steed's  feet, 
thus  he  can  swerve  so  dexterously  that  it  is  impossi- 
ble for  the  other  rider  to  foresee  such  an  event.  On 
comes  each  for  the  other.  Alonso's  reins  are  not  in 
his  hands.  *  They  are  fastened  to  the  pommel  of  his 
saddle;  the  animal  responds  to  the  slightest  pressure 
of  the  thighs  and  legs;  the  spear  is  held  firmly  in 
both  hands  by  Alonso.  He  is  m  ecstaey,  sitting  on  his 
beloved  horse  flying  towards  his  friendly  adversary, 
but  whom  he  is  anxious  to  unsaddle;  and  now  they 
are  within  speaking  distance.  The  moment  to  the 
spectators  is  thrilling,  for  it  seems  as  though  one  or 
both  would  be  killed  by  such  a  shock;  now  Coronado 
comes  straight  for  his  young  subaltern,  and  now  is  the 
crucial  moment  for  the  sagacious  mount  of  Alonso: 
When  his  opponent  believes  he  is  about  to  reach  his 
person,  by  a  sudden  swerving  of  the  body  the  horse 
of  Alonso  springs  sideways,  thus  taking  his  master 
out  of  harm's  way,  all  of  which  is  as  planned  and  con- 
templated by  our  young  soldier,  hence  he  is  prepared 
to  act  at  the  right  moment,  for  now  his  tilting  spear 
comes  in  contact  with  the  body  of  his  opponent,  but 
not  with  such  force  as  it  would  have  been  by  a  head- 
end collision,  as  it  were.  But  the  knack  acquired  by 
Alonso  was  by  a  slight  of  hand  to  take  his  adversary 
from  the  side,  thus  compelling  him  to  lose  his  balance 


224  TRUE  KNIGHTHOOD. 

and  be  forced  to  the  ground.  It  has  taken  quite  a 
time  to  convey  some  comprehension  of  the  affair,  but 
it  was  over  so  quickly  that  it  was  like  witnessing  the 
Derby  on  the  Downs  in  England.  Tlie  word  is  soon 
passed  around  * 'They 're  off/'  and  the  horses  are  at 
the  finish.  But  Alonso's  brain  just  now  is  very  active, 
and  instantly  he  is  on  the  qui  vive  to  see  how  the  oth- 
ers were  progressing,  and  the  tlrst  thing  that  met  his 
eyes  was  the  moment  when  two  men  had  caused 
Jaramillo  to  lose  his  balance,  but  whose  foot  is  caught 
in  the  stirrup,  and  the  horse  is  scared,  and  is 
speeding  away  with  the  captain,  dragging  liini  along 
the  grass.  Alonso,  like  lightning,  takes  in  the  situa- 
tion, fully  realizing  the  danger  of  his  companion  in 
ai'ms,  and  so,  like  a  flash,  he  is  putting  his  horse  to 
its  topmost  speed;  dropping  his  tilt  and  untieing  his 
lasso,  he  soon  is  close  enough  to  the  runaway  horse 
to  throw  the  noose  over  its  head,  and  he  soon  brings 
it  to  a  stop,  but  not  any  too  soon,  for  the  excitement  of 
the  contest,  the  bumping  he  has  received,  and  the 
heat  being  very  oppressive,  and  particularly  the  sun 
shining  upon  the  iron  armor,  making  it  so  hot  that  he 
can  hardly  breathe,  has  caused  Jaramillo  to  become 
unconscious;  Alonso  releases  his  foot  and  hfts  his  vis- 
or. He  was  not  injured,  but  overcome,  by  the  excessive 
heat  and  exertion,  and  soon  revived  upon  being  loos- 
ened from  his  harness. 

Alonso  had  lost  all  thought  of  the  tournament  in 
the  solicitude  for  his  comrade,  but  now  his  mind  re- 
verts to  the  field  and  inquires  what  the  outcome  is. 
He  learns  that  there  is  only  himself  on  the  one  side 
and  only  one  on  the  other,  who  is  still  in  the  rhkg. 


EAGLEChlEF. 

The  PaWQee's  h)ave  no  principal   Ciiief.     TF^is  is  one 

of  the  several.     Original  picture  ta^eQ  at 

PaWQee,  Oklahonna.  ir)  1908. 


'%  A  MAGNAmMOUS  ACT.  225 

Aithongh  AJoqlSO  dislikes  to  continue  the  bout,  jet  he 
feels  ia  dutjr  bound  to  see  it  out;  so  observinfir  the  sol- 
itary opponent  sitting  upon  his  horse,  he  cftU  Babieca 
bj  hla  most  endearing  name  to  encourage  him;  and 
being  handed  his  lance,  which  he  had  discarded,  now 
rides  at  top  speed  toward  the  solitary  and  only  sur- 
viving pedestrian  of  the  other  troop.  But  the  poor 
fellow  has  stood  in  the  melting  sun  with  his  visor  up, 
trying  to  get  a  little  fresh  breeze,  and  owing  to  his 
blood  being  awful  hot,  and  yet  not  the  fighting  kind 
of  blood  requisite  to  face  danger,  he  loses  his  nerve 
and  stands  stock  still  when  he  observes  a  horseman 
approaching  him  at  a  furious  gallop;  in  fact,  his 
horse's  sides  are  so  heaving  with  the  heat  that  it  will 
not  respond  to  the  cluck  or  spur,  and  Alonso,  seeing 
that  the  man  was  standing  stock  still,  could  not  bring 
himself  to  do  such  an  unmanly  act  as  to  attack  him, 
so  he  rained  in  his  horse  and  demanded  of  the  man 
what  he  meant  by  such  action.  The  poor  fellow  then 
told  of  his  predicament,  which  caused  Alonso  to 
laugh;  and  then  he  thought  how  magnanimous  it 
would  be  to  dismount,  thus  technically  make  the 
other  side  the  victors,  and  no  sooner  did  the  noble 
precept  come  to  him  than  he  responded  to  the  brave 
and  manly  promptings  of  his  heart.  So  he  sprang  to 
the  ground  and  approached  the  last  of  the  opposition, 
and,  taking  him  by  tho  hand,  asked  him  to  dismount 
as  the  victorious  party.  This  episode  was  a  beautiful 
tribute  to  the  nobility  and  Odyssea-like  character  of 
the  young  man,  and  endeared  him  to  all,  both  his 
friends  and  the  natives,  for  Ysopete  had  conveyed  to 
the  chief  and  others  the  significance  of  Alonso's  chiv- 
alrous conducii. 


226  DOES  CIVILIZATION  aVILIZE? 

QUERY. 
The  authorities  have  been  perused  so  as  to  ac- 
•quire  some  conception  of  a  tournament.  A  little  his- 
liory  was  dug  up  which  impelled  the  jotting  down 
here.  The  period  is  about  seventy-five  years  before 
the  celebrated  passage  of  arms  just  told  of,  and  the 
query  arises,  *'Does  civilization  civilize?"  The  follow- 
ing is  what  is  referred  to:  *'Over  the  vice  of  the 
higher  classes  they  (the  clergy)  exerted  no  influence 
whatever;  the  king  paraded  his  mistress  as  a  queen 
of  beauty  through  London,  the  nobles  blazoned  their 
infamy  in  court  and  tournament.  In  these  days, 
says  a  canon  of  the  times,  arose  a  great  rumor  and 
clamor  among  the  people  that  wherever  there  was  a 
tournament,  there  came  a  great  concourse  of  ladies 
of  the  most  costly  and  beautiful,  but  not  of  the  best 
in  the  kingdom,  sometimes  forty  or  fifty  in  number, 
as  if  they  were  a  part  of  the  tournament,  in  diverse 
and  wonderful  male  apparel,  in  partly-colored  tunics 
with  short  caps  and  bands  wound  cord-wise  around 
their  heads,  and  girdles  bound  with  gold  and  silver, 
and  daggers  in  pouches  across  their  body;  then  they 
proceeded  on  chosen  coursers  to  the  place  of  tourney, 
and  so  expended  and  wasted  their  goods  and  vexed 
their  bodies  with  scurrilous  wantonness,  that  the 
murmur  of  the  people  sounded  everywhere;  and  thus 
they  neither  feared  God  nor  blushed  at  the  chaste 
voice  of  the  people.'' 

It  was  arranged  to  have  the  leaders  take  part  in 
the  joust  with  swords,  or  rather  single  sticks  in  lieu 
of  foils,  but  the  termination  of  the  last  entertainmer.l 


BAGLB  PEATHEWS  AB  DIAMONDS.  227 

"wkB  such  that  it  was  concludod  to  have  six  of  the  men 
who  had  taken  no  part  In  the  tournament  to  entertain 
with  an  exhibition  of  swordsmanship.  These  three 
pairs  are  pitted  against  eacli  other,  Coronado,  Alonso 
and  Jaramillo  acting  as  judges.  The  plan  of  action  is 
for  the  men  to  begin  at  the  same  time,  there  being  a 
judge  to  keep  the  number  of  points  made  by  either  of 
the  contestants;  then  at  a  given  signal  all  are  to  cease, 
when  the  judges  are  to  compare  notes  and  announce 
the  two  men  having  the  highest  number  of  marks 
pitted  against  each  other.  The  preliminary  bout  is 
over  and  our  two  fencers  are  doing  their  best  to  dis- 
play their  proficiency  with  the  foils  (single  sticks),  and 
both  being  experts,  it  causes  considerable  interest 
among  their  countrymen,  if  not  the  natives.  The 
terms  **carte,"  '^thrust,'*  '*carte  over  the  arm,'*  "low 
carte,"  fiancomade  or  cotade,"  * 'tierce,"  * 'prime,*' 
/*quinte,"  ''half  circle,"  "feints,"  etc^  are  some  of  the 
names  for  the  various  plays,  but  which  might  just  as 
well  be  in  the  Indian  language,  for  not  the  slightest 
conception  is  there  of  the  meaning  of  these  technical 
terms.  They  were  taken  from  a  book  on  "The  Noble 
Art  of  Fencing."  The  soldiers  knew  the  two  men  to 
be  very  proficient  and  were  as  excited  as  are  the 
Philippines  during  a  cock-fight. 

At  the  close  of  the  day's  festivities  Chief  Tatar- 
rax  presented  Alonso  with  a  beautiful  headgear  made 
principally  from  eagle  feathers.  This  was  the  very 
highest  compliment  he  could  pay  the  young  man,  as 
it  was  the  sign  of  their  tribe,  and  more  especially,  as 
eagle  feathers  were  as  rare  and  costly  as  jewels  are 
to  the  people  at  this  day  and  age. 

And  tiius  ended  the  first  day.  .    . 


FIFTEENTH. 

The  Kansas,  Osage  and  Pawnee  are  the  kings  presented  to  tb«f  j 
They  are  native  children,  you  see,  all  being  absolutely  free. 
This  Eden  had  devils  (rattlers)  galore,  but  they  had  the  lee; 
Their  God  had  not  yet  forbidden  them  to  cat  of  the  tree. 

These  natives  tf  Quivira,  and  for  many  yeai«  their  survivors^  ' 
Thus  enjoyed  the  game  as  God  had  willed  the  same. 
Then  solicitous  for  their  souls,  but  more  the  buffalo  holes, 
The  superior  tribe  did  then  contrive  their  homes  to  divide. 

CONFESSION  is  good  for  the  soul;  thereforS 
you,  kind  readers,  are  constituted  ''Father 
Confessors,"  to  listen  to  this  plaint,  stoirj, 
yarn,  * 'humbug,"  or  imagination;  for  bow 
is  it  possible  to  enter  into  a  long-winded,  truthful  and 
authentic  account  of  the  various  sports  in  vogue 
among  the  denizens  of  Quivira  when  hardly  a  scratch 
of  the  pen  is  come-at-able  that  is  authoritative?  The 
only  record  along  this  line  is  the  statement  of  their 
marksmanship  with  the  bow  and  arrow,  and  they  had 
canoes.  So  the  confession  is  heralded  on  the  four 
wings  of  heaven,  that  nearly  all  of  this  chapter  is  a 
stretch  of  the  imagination,  based  largely  ui)on  thd 
known  habits  of  later  tribes  as  set  forth  in  the  great 
United  States  Indian  work  heretofore  utilized.  But 
because  they  left  no  account  of  themselves  on  Baby- 


A  LITTLE  ANCIENT   lUSTORY.  220 

Ionian  or  Clialdean  baked  tablets,  nor  any  ponderous 
rock  or  brick  structures,  as  did  the  older  civilizations 
of  the  East  to  mark  tl^eir  cities  or  places  of  abode, 
yet  your  attention  is  directed  to  the  fact  that  it 
wasn't  till  about  the  year  1820  that  nature  compelled 
the  world  to  observe  that  great  ruins  were  buried 
under  the  hills  that  were  artificial,  but  which  ap 
peared  to  have  been  thrown  up  by  the  Creator.  Even 
the  natives  of  old  Mesopotamia  and  Chaldea  were  net 
aware  of  the  fact  that  the  hills  bordering  the  Tigris 
and  the  £uphrate«  were  bricks  and  not  nature'ii 
handiwork,  and  for  thousands  of  years  these  iBtalU- 
ble  monuments  of  the  dead  past  were  awaiting  the 
band  of  man  to  open  the  earthern  doors  to  the  Ubra^ 
ries  that  would  speak  as  accurately  of  the  dead  as  the 
phonograph  will  in  the  future.  Less  than  100  years 
ago  the  rain  washed  out  a  gully  or  ditch  through  a 
meadow,  over  which  the  camels,  horses,  sheep  and 
asses  roamed,  and  it  was  observed  that  a  great 
amount  of  debris  kept  washing  down  the  ravine  as  tt 
got  larger.  This  caused  the  natives  to  wonder 
where  the  carved  rocks  came  from,  and  bricks  were 
found  in  great  plenty,  as  well  as  a  wall  was  brought 
to  view  compelling  the  attention  of  the  dumb  natives; 
and  then  it  was  that  word  began  to  pass  around  until 
it  reached  some  European  officials,  who,  upon  investi- 
gation, made  the  discovery  that  it  was  the  buried  city 
of  Nine  veil.  Then  the  limelight  was  turned  in  on  the 
brains  of  men  interested  in  the  history  of  the  past, 
until  now  by  tlie  aid  of  the  newly  acquired  art  of  read- 
ing the  cuneiform  characters  of  the  peoples  told  of  in 
the  Bible,  we  have  the  highest,  most  indelible  ac- 


280  SOD  HOUSES  IN  KANSAS. 

oounts  of  their  customs,  laws,  wars,  kings,  etc.,  and 
8K>  hiffh  a  class  of  books  are  contained  in  tiie  libraries 
of  this  dust  to  dust  past,  that  it  far  excels  our  own 
present  system  of  printing  on  paper,  for  if  a  book 
was  buried  four  or  five  thousand  years  as  were  the 
baked  books  of  the  ancients,  there  would  be  nothing 
to  indicate  its  being  a  book. 

Again  in  the  populous  vicinity  of  Naples,  and  in 
that  country  where  in  the  year  A.  D.  79  was  situated 
the  most  powerful  country  in  the  world  (Rome),  and 
although  in  that  year  the  cities  of  Herculaneum  and 
Pompeii  were  buried  in  lava  and  ashes,  yet  the  awful 
calamity  was  completely  forgotten  and  there  was  no 
record  of  the  town,  and  it  was  not  tiU  the  year  1748 
that  the  ruins  of  Pompeii  were  accidentally  discover- 
ed. The  streets  of  the  disinterred  Pompeii  having 
been  traversed,  naturally  causes  interest  therein. 

But  last,  and  to  the  point,  thirty  years  ago  men 
erected  houses,  stables,  chicken  houses,  water  closets, 
smoke  houses  and  fences  all  over  the  western  part  of 
Kansas,  made  by  laying  up  the  natural  sod  into  walls, 
and  mind  you,  they  compared  with  the  adobe  houses 
of  the  Egyptians  and  Chaldeans,  and  as  now  used  in 
Mexico,  yet  when  the  men  abandoned  their  home- 
steads by  reason  of  grasshoppers  and  drought  the 
structures  in  a  few  years  crumbled,  and  now  you 
oould  not  possibly  tell  that  the  mounds  they  have 
made  on  the  prairie  were  once  the  habitation  of  fami- 
lies, and  this  only  takes  ten  or  fifteen  years  to  bring 
about. 

While  on  this  subject,  a  very  interesting  theme 
along  the  line  just  discussed  is  the  experience  of  the 


/'BURIED"   VILLiAGBS  OP   KANSAS.  231 

Grecian  "general  Xenophon,  when  on  his  ^ever- 
memorable  retreat  from  Persia  about  401  B.  C.  with 
his  army  of  10,000  marching  from  sixty  miles  north 
of  Babylon  back  to  Athens,  fighting  nearly  all  the 
way  for  the  2,000  miles,  that  being  the  distance  be- 
tween Cunaxa,  the  place  where  he  lost  the  battle  to 
Athens.  *  Xenophon  was  not  only  a  famous  soldier, 
but  a  writer  as  well,  his  works  being  extant  at  this 
date,  and  although  a  well  posted  man,  yet  observe 
how  he  was  fooled.  In  his  own  account  of  the  retreat 
he  tells  of  camping  by  the  side  of  a  great  wall  around 
"a  vast  desert  city"  on  the  Tigris.  This  tremendous 
outer  wall  was  twenty-five  feet  wide  and  100  feet  high, 
being  nearly  seven  miles  in  circuit.  He  called  it  La* 
rissa,  and  that  it  was  the  Medes  who  occupied  same 
when  conquered  and  razed  by  the  Persian^*-  Where- 
as, in  truth,  only  200  years  before  it  was  the  Medes 
who  destroyed  the  city  after  a  two  years'  siege,  and 
the  great  error  of  Xenophon  was  the  statement  that 
the  King  of  Persia  was  the  conqueror,  for  that  nation 
as  a  world  power  had  not  come  into  the  drama  of  na- 
tions. Then  contemplate  that  Nineveh,  the  most  pow- 
erful city  of  the  east  and  capital  of  Assyria,  should 
lose  its  identity  in  200  years.  So  it  must  not  be  taken 
as  a  foregone  conclusion  that  Quivira  did  not  contain 
quite  a  large  population  because  there  are  no  visible 
monuments  of  their  presence,  for  when  you  consider 
the  lost  civilization,  heretofore  cited,  which  was  a  myth 
until  research  by  the  lovers  of  knowledge  brought  to 
light  the  remarkable  evidences  we  now  have,  and  for 
the  express  benefit  of  the  historians  of  Kansas,  how 
much  are  we  indebted  to  the  Quivira  Historical  Soci- 


232  SBOOND  DAY'S  ENTERTAINMENT. 

ety  for  its  efforts  in  locating  the  numerous  cities  bur- 
ied under  the  sod,  as  are  the  ancient  cities  of  yore? 

Without  doubt,  there  were  according  to  the  Span- 
ish and  later  authorities  quite  a  number  of  people  re- 
siding in  or  about  the  territory  now  known  as  Kansas^ 
so  there  is  no  fiction  about  that  fact. 

Ysopete  is  a  very  busy  man  on  this  morning  of 
the  eventful  day  when  he  intends  to  take  part  in  some 
of  the  contests.  He  wais  one  of  the  runners  for  the 
chief  of  '*Tlie  Village  of  the  Twenty-four,''  when  cap- 
tured by  the  Teyas  and  by  them  sold  as  a  slave  down 
in  Pecos  or  Cicuye;  and  by  the  continued  exercise  in 
walking  and  often  running  ahead  to  find  the  best 
course  for  the  army  to  march,  his  muscles  were  like 
steel,  and  could  not  be  in  better  training,  so  he  has 
registered  himself  as  a  contestant  for  the  longest  race 
of  ten  miles,  and  some  of  his  friends  having  arrived 
from  his  native  village,  who  know  him  to  be  the  swift- 
est Indian  in  their  part  of  the  country,  especiaDy  the 
great  city  of  the  Twenty-four,  he  has  no  lack  of  back- 
ers and  encouragers  who  feel  honored  by  their  ac- 
quaintance with  a  countryman  of  such  remarkable  ex- 
periences. 

It  is  nat  stretching  the  faot  to  say  there  were 
t  lousands  of  people  camped  miles  around  the  village; 
nearly  every  family  brought  a  house  with  them,  con- 
sisting of  a  few  poles  and  buffalo  skins,  these  being 
carried  by  their  dogs,  every  family  being  the  owner 
of  a  pack  with  which  to  carry  their  belongings  when 
on  the  hunt,  as  weU  as  to  transport  the  game  whea 
kiUed. 

A  custom  prevailed  among  the  western  Indians, 


INDIANS  OF  HEROIC  MOUU).  233 

n^^mcn  we  are  informed  was  invariably  insisted  upon 
by  the  entertaining  tribes;  00  the  Kansans  being  the 
host  caused  a  circular  camp  to  be  laid  out  where  every 
Tisiting  tribe  must  erect  their  tepees  while  sojourn- 
ing in  the  friendly  territory,  and  on  the  present  occa- 
sion the  visitors  were  so  arranged  that  a  large  mush- 
room town  had  sprung  up  in  the  suburbs  of  Manhat- 
tan. Of  course,  the  Osages  speak  the  same  tongue  as 
the  Kansans,  and  being  their  kin  and  nearest  neigh- 
bor«  were  the  strongest  numerically;  tlien  came  the 
Pikwnees,  next  the  Omahas  and  last  a  few  Missouris, 
all  of  whom  were  at  that  time  on  friendly  terms  (for  a 
wonder). 

The  Indian  has  always  borne  a  reputation  from 
earliest  times  as  being  of  the  heroic  mold;  that  is, 
they  love  to  do  some  act  which  would  bring  them  to 
the  favorable  notice  of  their  fellows,  therefore  hun- 
dreds of  men  on  this  July  day  367  years  ago  were  pre- 
pared and  willing  to  go  through  any  physical  travail 
in  their  hope  of  doing  some  heroic  deed  that  would 
bring  upon  them  the  eclat  of  the  tribes,  so  there  was 
no  lack  of  contestants  for  the  numerous  sports. 

The  day's  program  began  earlier  than  the  day 
previous,  so  at  eight  o'clock  the  band  began  to  play; 
calf-skins  stretched  over  a  section  of  a  hollow  tree, 
and  a  good  many  of  them,  were  the  principal  instru- 
ments, the  thumping  of  which  being  accompanied 
with  the  words  something  like  Yar,  Yar,  Yar,  Goo, 
Goo,  „Goo,  Woo,  Woo,  Woo;  others  had  tambourine 
drums,  which  they  kept  striking  with  a  stick  with 
some  hide  on  the  end  to  keep  from  injuring  the  thick 
l>archment;  then  there  were  the  fifes  made  by  punch- 


til  A  T«N-MIIiE  FOOT-RACE. 

iftfif  the  pith  froitt;.canes;  again  th^re  were  one-atring: 
bass  viols.  The  idea  was(  conceived  by  drawing:  a 
rawhide  over  the  taut  bow-string,  and  every  Indian 
waa  able  to  produce  time  by  the  aid  of  an  arrow  used 
like  a  fiddle-bow  and  the  bow  for  the  fiddle.  But  like 
fire  crackers  now  used,  on  that  day  of  days,  every  boy 
had  a  home-made  '*hummer  or  bull  roarer,"  which 
every  youngster  kept  going  and  with  it  shouting:    , 

^^Na  nisa  naauj  na  nisa  naau^ 
Wa  wa  na  dana  dia 
Wa  ica  na  dana  dia, 
Nanisa  na^  Naniaa  na/ .,  - 


TRANSLATION.  '  " 

"My  children,  my  children,^ 

I  am  about  to  hum, 

I  am  about  to  hum,  *.. 

'  My  children,  my  children. 

So  the  day  is  a  veritable  4th  of  July  ceIeB?Stioii 
for  racket,  if  for  nothing  else.  But  the  first  event 
of  the  day  is  called  early,  which  is  the  ten-mile  foot^* 
race.  As  this  was  considered  the  most  severe  test, 
of  tiie  day's  sport,  it  has  been  concluded  to  get  it 
over  with  before  the  sun  is  too  far  in  the  zeniths 
Therefore,  the  contestants  are  coming  to  the  scratch^ 
iprei)aratory  to  the  start,  which  is  arranged  at  the  fir- 
'ing  of  Coronado's  dag.  A  two  and  a  half  mile  course 
■lias  been  carefully  prepared  by  levelling  up  the  buf- 
ifak)  holes,  cutting  any  overgrown  grass,  as  the  time  is 
expected  to  be  a  record-breaker.  Now  the  thirty- 
,  three  men  are  lined  up  ready  for  the  signal:  it  is  to  be 
fa  standing  start,  not  a  *'twig"  start,  as  will  be  ex- 
;  plained  in  another  match.     Off  they  go!    some  like  a 


YSOPETE,  A  FOOT-RACER  235 

Jkhtt  out  ot  a  gun;  but  the  older  men  have  had  more 
experience  and  realize  the  impossibility  of  continuing 
Buch  a  pace.  The  younger  men,  therefore,  are  quite 
in  advance,  and  are  foolish  enough  to  pat  themselves 
with  the  contemplation  that  the  old  fellow^s  were  not 
in  it.  But  the  hindmost  are  not  old;  none  are  over 
thirty  years  of  age;  Ysopete  is  twenty- seven.  There 
are  six  who  run  abreast  at  a  long  swinging  gait; 
they  even  waste  a  little  breath  by  remarking  the 
swift  run  the  youngsters  are  keeping  up;  but  each 
smile,  as  much  as  to  say,  they  will  find  out. 

Tliere  is  not  much  to  record  until  after  they  have 
reached  the  starting  place  the  first  time,  or  five  miles; 
the  six  professionals  are  still  abreast,  but  they  even 
intimate  to  each  other  that  after  the  turn  is  made  they 
intend  to  increase  the  rate,  for  i  number  of  those  in 
the  lead  appear  so  far  ahead  that  to  the  inexperienced 
it  would  seem  impossible  to  overtake  them,  but  this 
does  not  worry  the  six,  for  they  have  been  there  be- 
fore. V  What  is  uppermost  is  how  many  of  the  hind- 
most party  will  have  the  best  staying  powers.  At 
the  turn  Ysopete  meets  the  eye  of  his  god,  Alonso, 
who  does  everything  possible  to  encourage  his  dusky 
admirer,  and  not  only  is  it  our  hero  who  wishes  the 
guide  to  be  the  victor,  but  the  general  and  every  man 
in  his  troop,  for  he  has  proven  himself  to  be  truthful 
and  faithful,  so  is  there  any  wonder  with  such  en- 
couragement shouted  to  him  as  he  passed  that  his 
very  soul  should  be  imbued  with  the  desire  to  win? 
Again  his  young  townsman,  who  was  the  swiftest  of 
the  600  the  day  before,  is  not  an  ingrate,  and  from 
childhood  having  participated  in  foot-racing  knows 


88(1       TWENTY-FI^^a  MrL.158  IN  TWO  HOURS 

many  tctek*.  which  the  urvinibiated  know  nothinfif  of ; 
so  when  ths  six  men  are  fairly  past  the  judges'  stand, 
as  it  would  be  termed  now,  he  ran  up  behind  his 
friend  and  spoke  word^  of  endearment  and  encour- 
agement, and  owing  to  the  other  five  belonginec  to 
other  tribesi,  who  did  not  speak  the  Kansas  dialect, 
they  did  not  comprehend  that  the  young:  fellow  was 
telling  Ysopete  that  he  could  run  the  five  miles  and 
would  do  so  by  his  side,  if  he  would  dash  in  front  of 
the  others:  so  Ysopete  resolves  t^  now  begin  to  call 
on  his  reserve  force,  although  it  seems  a  little  early 
to  do  so,  but  resolves  to  drop  dead  rather  ^ihiu  be 
beaten,  and  now  without  mncii  elTort  he  darts  forward 
and  our  young  racer  very  quickly  gets  past  the  other 
five  and  soon  is  even  with  his  friend,  and  as  you  rexl- 
ize,  he  is  fresh,  so  there  is  no  trouble  for  him  to  keep 
abreast,  and  in  a  few  sentences  he  informs  his  friend 
that  he  proposes  never  again  to  permit  the  others  to 
overtake  them,  and  sets  the  point  where  they  were  to 
pass  the  others  at  about  the  turning  place.  From 
this  on  it  seemed  easy  for  Ysopete,  what  with  those 
behind,  who  he  was  determined  should  not  ai^ain 
catch  up  with  him,  and  the  few  in  the  lead,  who  were 
being  reached  very  rapidly,  made  it  appear  easy, 
hence  the  balance  of  the  race  seemed  a  foregone  con- 
clusion, and  it  was  rapid,  there  is  no  mistake,  for  the 
ten  miles  was  finished  in  thirty-five  minutes.  It  may 
seem  incredible  to  make  ten  miles  in  thirty-five  min- 
utes, ^ut  this  is  based  on  the  great  authority,  where- 
in it  asserts  that  in  playing  a  certain  game  the  In- 
dians, although  they  had  to  pick  up  a  stick  with  their 
toes,  yet  they  made  twenty-iive  miles  in  two  hours. 


YaoPETfl  aaoEi^Eie  thos  iionoi*       287 

But  here  is  the  citation  itself:. 

*The  chief  feature  of  the  race  is  the  kickitts  of 
•Mflks,  which  the  leader  of  each  side  i>iaces  acroas  his 
fool  at  the  base  of  the  toea.  These  sticks  are  rotiad* 
ed  and  of  the  size  of  the  middle  fini^er;  they  are  pkdD- 
oA  up  with  the  toes  and  kicked  forward,  when  ono  of 
ttiO  set,  or  partners  of  tlie  one  kicking,  renews  the 
feat,  keeping  up  rapid  speed.  Mr.  Hodge  says  the 
distance  covered  by  one  race  was  twenty -five  miles, 
and  the  time  consumed  only  two  hours.  It  is  well 
known  that  the  Tarahumara  Indians  of  Mexico  are  so 
named  from  their  custom  of  racing  while  driving  be- 
fore them  a  wooden  ball  by  means  of  the  feet  alone. 
It  is  said  that  frequently  seventy  or  eighty  miles  are 
thus  covered  in  a  single  race." 

Do  not  forget  that  the  people  we  are  writing 
of  were  God*s  children;  they  are  admitted  by  the 
men  who  first  saw  them  to  be  magnificent  physical 
specimens  of  humans,  and  they  had  nothing  else  to  do 
but  cultivate  the  body  so  as  to  make  themselves 
strong,  agile  and  swift,  so  they  could  battle  with  na- 
ture, animals  and  enemies;  and  further  bear  in  mind 
that  the  tea  miles  was  without  obstructions,  and 
please  don't  fail  to  note  where  twenty-five  miles  was 
made  in  two  hours  they  were  picking  up  a  s^lck  with 
their  toes. 

Just  a5  soon  as  the  chief  and  judges  announce 
that  Ysopete  is  the  winner  of  the  prize  oil ered  by  Cor- 
onado,  which  is  a  sword  and  scabbard  with  belt  at- 
tached, the  swiftest  runner  is  presented  to  the  chief, 
who  iu  true  Indian  manner  presents  the  bright  sharp 
awful  big  knife  to  the  smiling  native,       ''^" 


238  A   HISTORICAL  SWORD  FOUND. 

Note:  About  the  time  that  the  Uile  haJ  beon  com- 
pleted to  here  and  Ysopete  had  in  the  story  been 
awarded  the  sword,  a  trip  was  taken  to  the  Kansas 
State  Historical  Society  at  Topeka,  to  delve  among 
books  for  material  to  inject  herein,  and  while  examin- 
ing the  Indian  rehcs  in  the  museum  a  card  was  ob- 
served with  an  inscription,  viz:  **Sword  of  Captain 
Juan  Gallego,  an  officer  with  Coronado  1541;  in  vuult." 
It  is  80  highly  prized  that  it  is  kept  under  lock  and 
key.  As  you  may  surmise,  being  intensely  interested 
with  anything  that  would  throw  light  on  the  expedi- 
tion treated  of  in  this  book,  the  courteous  secretary 
George  W.  Martin,  and  his  assistant  George  A.  Root, 
very  kindly  permitted  a  personal  examination  of  the 
i^word.  It  has  no  handle,  the  theory  being  that  all 
perishable  material  rotted  while  buried.  There  is  a 
very  plain  inscription  along  the  blade,  as  follows: 

'*NO   ME  SAQUES  SIN  RAZON 
SO   ME  ENBAINES  SIN   HONOR" 

Being  translated  is  "Draw  me  not  without  reason; 
sheath  me  not  without  ho^nor."  There  is  no  mistake 
about  this,  but  the  claim  of  those  who  deposited  the 
valuable  relic  is,  that  in  small  script  letters  they  de- 
ciphered to  read  '*Juan  Gallego,"  who  is  mentioned 
as  being  with  Coronado.  The  sword  was  found  bur- 
ied in  the  sod  in  Finney  county,  Kansas,  in  1886.  Of 
course  a  minute  examination  of  the  name  of  Juan 
Gallego  was  not  made  with  a  glass,  but  gentlemen  of 
veracity  have,  so  that  fact  will  have  to  be  considered 
conclusive. 

On  returning  home,  the  great  authority  was  re- 
ferred to  for  the  purpose  of  learning  what  was  said 


jrUAIf  GAt^LtEGO'S  SABBIl  289 

t 

of  Gallegfo;  and  here  is  verbatim  the  language  cou- 
teined  la  volume  1, 14th  Annual  Report  of  the  Bureau 
of  Ethnology,  pa^  484:  ** About  the  middle  of  Octo- 
ber, Captain  Melchior  Diaz  and  Juan  Gallsgo  came 
from  Cibola,  Juan  Gallego  on  his  way  to  New  Spain/' 
Also,  "after  Melchior  Diaz  and  Juan  Gallego  had 
arrived  in  the  town  of  Sonora,  it  was  announced  that 
the  army  was  to  depart  for  Cibola;  Melchior  Diaz  was 
to  remain  in  charge  of  that  town  with  eighty  men; 
that  Juan  Gallego  was  going  to  New  Spain  with 
messages  for  the  viceroy,  and  that  Friar  Marcos 
was  going  back  with  him,  because  he  did  not  think  it 
was  safe  for  him  to  stay  in  Cibola,  seeing  that  his  re- 
port had  turned  out  to  be  entirely  false."  The  fact 
of  Father  Marcos  returning  back  to  New  Spain  with 
Gallego  surely  makes  the  date  the  middle  of  October, 
1540.  Of  course,  it  was  possible  for  Gallego  to  get 
back  from  New  Spain  so  as  to  take  part  in  the  expe- 
dition the  following  spring.  But  did  he?  Was  it  not 
a  strange  co-incident  that  a  sword  had  been  awarded 
to  Ysopete  before  it  was  known  of  the  one  on  exhibi- 
tion at  Topeka?  Another  remarkable  thing  about  the 
saber  is  its  being  found  in  Finney  county,  for  in  all 
probability  that  was  the  route  gone  over  on  their  re- 
turn home. 

It  is  understood  that  the  next  performance  is  to 
be  the  principal  event  of  the  day,  for  by  the  use  of 
the  bow  and  arrow  these  people  are  able  to  exist,  and 
when  nature  compels  something,  rest  assured  it  will 
be  acquired. 

The  targets  are  stuffed  buffalos,  there  being  ten;, 
that  number  is  necessary  to  accommodate  the  num- 


240  niDIAN   BOWMEN. 

erous  contestants,  a  set  of  judges  having  been  ap- 
pointed for  each  animal,  and  only  one  shaft  is  allowed 
each  man  at  a  distance  of  about  sixty  paces,  and  the 
ten  best  bowmen  are  selected  from  the  ten  targets,, 
ami  these  are  the  ones  who  really  are  to  make  the 
test. 

A  new  target  is  put  at  seventy  paces,  and  each  of 
the  men  whose  arrow  lodges  in  any  part  of  the  ani- 
mal's body  is  permitted  to  continue  to  shoot,  so  when 
the  last  of  the  ten  have  had  their  opportunity  it  is 
found  that  six  are  still  in  the  contest,  so  the  beast  is- 
moved  to  seventy- five  paces  and  only  four  succeed. 
Now  it  is  eighty  paces,  and  a  new  rule  prevails,  that 
the  shaft  which  strikes  nearest  a  designated  spot 
back  of  the  shoulder  (the  most  vital  part  of  the  ani- 
mal) is  to  be  considered  best.  And  now  it  is  that  11  le 
powerful  Osage  Indian,  Long  Arrow,  displays  his  su- 
perior strength  and  proficiency,  for  his  bolt  strikes 
so  near  the  spot  that  no  others  can  beat  it,  but  al- 
though Long  Arrow  is  the  victor  he  requests  the  tar- 
get to  be  carried  to  100  paces^  and  then  with  a  miglity 
strong  arm  and  sure  aim  one  of  his  long  arrow^s  liy 
from  his  powerful  bow,  which  comes  very  near  not 
the  '^Bull's  Eye"  but  the  bull's  thigh,  thus  entitling 
him  to  the  hatchet  and  chain  with  the  silver  dollar 
hanging  therefrom. 

Now  we  are  to  witness  a  fast  race  over  a  hundred 
yard  track;  there  are  twenty-two  starters,  a.nd  in- 
stead of  a  standing  start  they  resort  to  the  customary 
holding  on  to  sticks,  so  that  there  can  be  no  jock- 
eying^. The  runners  recede  from  the  mark  in  order 
to  get  a  good  and  fair  start.     Being  ready,  a  t\vig. 


PAIR   JOCKEYING  OF  INDIANS.  241 

fititilr  or  platted  grass  twelve  to  fifteen  incHes  in 
len{.:tb  is  held  between  them,  each  grasping*  an  end, 
so  iis  to  readily  indicate  when  one  or  the  other  is  gain- 
ing undue  advantage  in  speed  from  the  standing  i>otnt 
to  the  scratch  when  the  race  is  actually  to  begin.  In 
starting,  the  racers  step  off  briskly ,  at  once  beginning 
a  gentle  trot,  which  increases  in  speed  as  thejmi^- 
proach  the  scratch,  though  they  endeavor  to  keep 
abreast  and  g-)ance  at  the  stick  or  wisps  held  by  the 
men  on  each  side.  When  the  true  starting  polni  is 
reached,  the  sticks  are  dropped  and  all  start  forward 
at  nearly  racing  pace  from  the  rety  first.  And  if 
they  had  stop-watches,  it  would  have  been  recorded 
— **Time:  10  seconds."  This  race  is  a  record-breaker, 
for  it  beats  the  time  recorded  a  half  second.  For  the 
sake  of  computation  call  it  100  yards  in  ten  seconds; 
tliat  would  be  600  yards  in  a  minute,  and  on  that  basis 
would  amount  to  36,000  yards  per  hour,  or  over  twenty 
miles,  so  when  it  was  stated  that  Ysopete  made  ten 
miles  in  thirty-five  minutes  vou  can  readily  see  its 
possibility.  ^       ^^^ 

For  deviation,  the  medical  magicians  now  give  an 
exhibition  of  their  wizardness.  These  performers  are 
the  medicine  men  of  the  various  tribes  present;  they 
occupied  over  an  hour  in  the  rendition  of  the  tricks. 
Of  course,  it  would  take  too  long  to  give  a  full  account, 
but  here  is  one  performance  which  merits  a  write-up, 
as  the  newsi>aper  men  say. 

In  the  first  place,  it  would  be  much  more  compre- 
hensive were  it  possible  to  demonstrate  the  jugglery 
by  the  insertion  of  '*Pig.  20"  in  the  work  so  frequently 
quoted.     The  Tshesaqkan  is  composed  of  four  ui^right 


M2  INDIAN   TOMFOOLERY 

poles  from  six  to  eight  feet  high,  securely  planbed  m 
the  groiind  so  as  to  make  the  diameter  of  three  to 
ttmr  feet,  around  this  is  wrapped  skins  to  make  the 
inlerior  innsible  from  without.  The  medicine  man 
tliea  goes  inside  and  voices  some  incantations,  then  a 
poor  woman  who  has  a  rery  sick  child  knocks  on  the 
];>osts  to  announce  her  presence,  and  tells  her  tale  of 
woe  to  the  medicine  juggler.  Then  more  mystic 
words  and  jangling  of  his  ^'juggler's  rattle,"  which 
the  cu^t  shows  to  be  like  a  tambourine,  then  there  is  a 
talk  between  a  spirit  and  the  magician  (no  doubt  he  is 
a  ventriloquist).  After  a  lot  of  flummery  the  child  is 
brought  to  the  medicine  man,  and  here  is  where  the 
deception  comes  in:  The  doctor  keeps  shaking  the 
rattle  and  then  applies  some  herbs  to  the  part  afflict- 
ed, then  more  chanting  and  gesticulations,  then  a 
tube  several  inches  long  made  from  bone  is  taken  into 
the  mouth  of  the  medicine  man  which  he  pretends  to 
swallow,  then  another  tube,  until  several  are  supposed 
to  be  inside;  and  now  comes  the  cure,  for  after  going 
through  various  contortions  and  pretended  vomiting, 
finally  up  comes  the  various  tubes,  one  after  the  other, 
which  are  by  violent  motions,  as  if  being  thrown  off 
the  stomach,  and  ejected  into  a  bowl,  the  pains  (?)  con- 
tinue until  the  five  or  six  tubes  are  finally  extracted 
and  lodged  in  the  bowl  of  water.  The  notion  is  by 
this  procedure:  the  patient  has  the  disease  abstracted 
from  his  body  through  that  of  the  juggler.  And 
while  the  foolishness  is  going  on  the  ''famous  and 
world-wide  physician'*  has  several  assistants  pound- 
ing away  on  medicine  drums,  so  vociferously  as  to 
nearly  raise  the  dead  or  kill  the  living. 


CANOE   RACING  248 

Tliere  were  many  meritorious  tricks  performed,, 
such  as  maldng  figures  dance,  but  it  was  effected  by 
fine  thread,  being  hidden,  attached  to  the  dancers; 
also  the  snake  trick,  performed  just  as  mysteriously 
as  it  could  be  now. 

But  let  us  proceed  with  physical  instead  of  men- 
tal sports,  and  watch  the  canoe  races  which  are  about 
to  take  place.  There  are  single,  double  and  two-pair 
races.  Both  banks  of  the  Kansas  river  are  lined  with 
spectators,  for  the  course  is  about  two  miles  dov/n 
the  stream  and  return,  which  would  appear  to  be  a 
sbort  distance.  But  not  so,  as  will  be  concluded 
when  the  account  is  finished.  Fbr  not  only  must  the 
coaitestant  be  expert  in  handling  the  craft,  but  also  &> 
swimmer  of  power  and  endurance;  for  as  much  will 
depend  on  the  actSonof  the  racer  in  the  Water  as  in 
the  canoe.  The  first  race  is  the  one  in  which  the 
most  numerous  numbers  are  to  take  part,  as  this  is 
the  one  for  which  Coronado  gives  the  i)ocket-knife 
and  a  lot  of  unstrung  colored  beads.  There  are  so 
HMJiy  entries  that  the  river  is  swarming  with  the 
racers,  and  you  need  not  think  there  was  no  inge- 
nuity displayed  in  the  construction  of  this  useful  and 
much  used  means  of  transportation,  for  it  was  the 
pride  of  this  tribe,  who  invariably  dwelt  near  a  navi- 
gable stream,  to  have  a  great  number  of  canoes,  as  it 
was  an  easier  and  quicker  way  of  going  distances  in 
pursuit  of  game,  than  by  any  other  means,  A  canoe  has 
already  been  described,  which  was  made  from  the 
carcass  of  a  buffalo,  the  hair  being  left  outside.  But 
there  were  many  types,  and  were  so  light  that  they 
did    not  weigh  to  exceed   twenty-five    pounds.    Of 


2U  YSOPBJTB  DOSS  30MS   SCHSMIWrG. 

con  f -se  these  were  for  speed  and  not  for  service.  It 
is  difficult  to  get  a  fair  start,  but  it  will  not  matter 
much  in  the  outcome,  for  if  a  canoe  was  the  first  U> 
get  the  lead,  he  would  be  the  first  to  upset;  therefore 
many  kept  back.  Let  us  confine  ourselves  to  one 
character  who  is  in  this  race.  It  is  the  son  of  Chief 
Tatarrax. 

He  has  been  schooled  by  Ysopete  how  to  win  the 
race,  and  owing  to  the  last  named  having  reached  the 
age  when  men  realize  that  sometimes  a  little  schem- 
ing mixed  with  physical  endurance  will  prevail  over 
brute  power,  so  our  Indian  guide  had  his  protege 
practice  many  times  unseen  by  anyone  the  trick  by 
which  the  son  of  the  chief  expected  to  win  the  race, 
they  having  gone  over  the  course  surreptitiously  and 
are  cognizant  of  the  favorable  spot  where  to  enact  the 
winning  card.  »  Young  Tatarrax,  like  many  others, 
has  his  canoe  marked  with  the  insignia  of  his  father, 
a  small  bunch  of  eagle  feathers  tied  to  the  prow  of  his 
bark;  the  winner  is  supposed  to  get  to  the  winning 
post  with  his  own  canoe,  therefore  it  is  necessary  to 
recognize  each  his  own.  Just  one  little  insinuation  is 
thrown  out  at  this  time,  which  is,  that  Ysopete  has 
taken  a  piece  of  hide  and  fastened  to  the  bottom  of  the 
young  chief's  canoe;  it  is  about  like  a  handle  on  a  trunk. 

At  last,  after  considerable  maneuvering  they  are 
oft,  and  for  a  short  distance  all  is  well;  then  the  fun 
begins.  Now  there  are  four  canoes  which  forge 
ahead;  one  draws  away  from  the  other  three,  but  just 
as  his  stern  is  about  to  pass  the  second  man,  he  grabs 
the  foremost  canoe  and  tips  it  over.  This  canoeist  is 
of  course  prepared,  but  it  disconcerts  him;  then  there 


are  throe  othersi  in  the  lead,  bufc  one  of  these  i»  about 
im  get  ahWad  and  so  hi^  cm^ia  toppled;  and  now  few© 
turn  and  are  on  the  wa,y  to  the  winning  place.     B«fc 
now  comes  twenty  or  more,  who  must  stop  these  two 
sure,  so  these  twenty  are  all  after  the  two  poor  fel- 
lows, their  canoes  are  even  taken  possession  of,  and 
back  to  the  turning  point,  so  they  must  return  to  gat 
them  if  they  wish  to  be  in  the  race.  About  tweatgr 
are  now  fairly  turned,  and  the  real  fun  commences. 
Remember  they  now  have  to  go  up  the  river,  which  is 
a  different  proposition  to  coming  down,  and  although 
everyone  of  them  are  like  ducks  in  the  water,  yet  to 
swim  against  the  current  is  not  like  being  in  a  canoe 
with  a  good  paddle.     The  different  methods  of  trying 
to  get  the  lead  were  numerous;  some  when  upset  con- 
cluded to  discard  their  paddle  and  swim,  pushing 
their  canoe  ahead;  others  hung  on  to  their  paddle  not- 
withstanding they  were  in  the  water.     When  the  man 
without  a  paddle  got  an  opportunity  to  clamber  into  a 
craft,  but  had  nothing  to  propel  her  with,  he  strad_ 
died  the  thing  and  used  his  feet  for  paddles.    Others 
who  had  lost  their  propulsion  blade  laid  down  flat  and 
used  their  hands  to  forge  ahead.     But  see,  there  are 
several  who  have  succeeded  in  getting  away.     But 
here  comes  a  mob  of  tail  enders,  who  could  not  resist 
the  temptation  to  undo  them;  so  all  three  are  left  in 
the  water.     But  it  begins  to  look  as  though  these 
three  are  the  ones  who  are  in  the  race,  for  all  are 
passed  now,  and  they  are  more  than  half  way  on  the 
first  half,  and  now  our  young  Indian  begins  to  con- 
template his  coup,  for  he  is  drawing  near  the  very 
place  whore  he  knows  his  trick  will  succeed  if  he  can 


246  LA  SUBTLE   YSOPETE. 

only  get  there  without  accident.  Up  to  this  time  he 
has  kept  the  paddle,  for  without  it  he  knew  he  would 
not  be  in  it;  but  now  the  time  has  about  arrived  when 
he  must  discard  that  and  trust  to  the  success  of  the 
Ysopete  scheme.  He  realizes  he  cannot  expect  to 
win  by  a  fair,  square  paddle,  for  both  the  other  men 
are  older  and  stronger;  so  if  his  srjbmarine,  aquatic 
scheme  should  fail  he  is  sure  of  defeat.  So  at  the 
proper  place  he  drops  the  paddle  and  dives  into  the 
water,  keeping  his  fingers  on  the  side  of  his  canoe  so 
as  not  to  lose  the  location  while  under  the  water,  hav- 
ing taken  the  deepest  breath  in  all  his  life;  and  now 
the  handle  is  grasped  with  one  hand  and  he  feels  his 
feet  on  the  beautiful  sandy  bottom,  which  is  only 
about  four  feet  deep.  So  he  has  to  crouch  in  order  to 
keep  his  head  from  coming  above  the  water.  But  he 
has  practiced  this  manner  of  dragging  his  canoe 
enough  times  to  convince  him  of  his  ability  to  suc- 
ceed. This  gives  him  confidence,  and  now  for  the  ef- 
fort of  his  hf e.  One  thing  practiced  and  thought  of 
was  the  necessity  of  selecting  the  side  where  the  cur- 
rent of  the  river  was  the  least,  so  the  young  savage 
felt  sure  of  his  ground,  having  traversed  it  many 
times  before:  so  with  eyes  wide  open,  of  course  mouth 
closed,  he  ran  dragging  his  canoe  after  him  by  the 
hand  hold;  by  this  means  he  was  able  to  get  ahead  of 
the  other  two  who  were  confounded  by  the  speed  of 
craft  without  seeing  the  motive  i)ower,  and  thus  lost 
time,  and  when  he  reached  the  si)ot  agreed  upon  by 
him  and  Ysopete,  it  being  where  it  was  found  he 
could  hold  his  breath  to,  the  faithful  gnide  as  pre-ar- 
ranged was  standing  in  the  stream,  beating  ibe  same 


TOCJWG  TATARRAX   WINS*  247 

Trith  his  hands  to  make  a  noise  so  as  to  encourage  x»be 
boy,  as  well  as  for  another  artful  purpose,  for  then  up 
bobs  young  Tatarrax'a  head  and  down  goes  Ysopete, 
who  grabs  the  handle,  keeping  the  craft  steady  and 
on  the  move,  while  his  young  friend  is  climbing  in. 
The  young  fellow  soon  takes  in  the  situation  that  ho 
is  a  little  ahead,  but  then  both  men  are  m?*kingfor 
him,  but  Ysopete  is  now  doing  his  little  diving  act;  so 
away  speeds  the  little  thing  to  the  astonishment  of 
the  two  racers.  The  plan  was  well  conceived,  for 
Ysopete  strained  every  nerv*  to  drag  the  canoe, 
which  with  both  his  efforts  and  the  occupant  thereof 
with  the  paddle  she  fairly  flew  over  the  water,  but  the 
wily  Indian  diver  knew  when  to  desist,  so  with  a  final, 
last,  extra-powerful  pull  he  released  his  hold,  but  in- 
stead of  coming  to  the  surface  ran  back  as  far  as  he 
I)OSsibly  could  hold  his  breath,  this  being  to  put  the 
people  off  the  scent  as  to  his  conspiracy.  About  the 
time  our  La  Subtle  Indian  gets  to  the  surface,  he 
hears  the  acclaim  of  the  people,  and  he  ij  happy  to 
see  the  successful  termination  of  his  well  laid  plot. 

To  the  credit  of  the  young  chief,  just  as  soon  as 
possible  he  told  his  father  of  the  good  work  done  by 
Ysopete,  and  the  old  man  admonished  his  son  to  bring 
the  guide  to  him,  which  was  done,  the  chief  in  private 
requesting  that  not  another  soul  be  told  of  what  wsis 
resorted  to  for  the  purpose  of  winning  the  race,  the 
main  thought  in  the  astute  leader's  mind  was  the  ad- 
vantage which  would  accrue  to  his  boy  in  the  future 
to  advance  his  being  selected  as  the  chief  of  the  tribe. 
And  from  that  day  Ysopete  was  a  marked  and  favored 
Indian,  all  of  which  was  merited. 


243  EQUALS  JULES  VERNE. 

Those  who  have  read  Jules  Verne's  **Porty  Thou- 
fiand  Lieagues  Under  the  Sea"  will  allow  that  the  race 
as  described  is  not  near  so  marvellous  as  Nero  having 
to  dig  through  the  North  Pole  so  as  to  get  his  vessel 
through. 

We  shall  not  take  up  your  time  with  a  separate 
recital  of  each  canoe  race,  suffice  it  to  say  that  there 
were  two,  four,  eight  and  as  high  as  sixteen  paddles 
to  a  canoe  All  these  barks  were  made  from  buffalo 
skins. 

At  the  close  of  the  day's  exercises  the  Spaniards 
are  resting  in  the  cool  of  the  evening,  which  in  Kansas 
lasts  for  nearly  two  hours  after  the  sun  goes  down; 
no  doubt  this  is  owing  to  the  absence  of  mountains. 
And  you  can  rest  assured  they  had  numerous  visitors, 
one  of  which  was  introduced  to  Alonso,  Coronado  and 
Monte  by  Ys<^>ete.  It  was  Long  Arrow,  the  Osage, 
who  won  the  prize.  He  had  asked  Ysopete  if  he  would 
not  present  him  to  the  Big  Chief,  so  here  he  is  stand- 
ing erect  in  the  presence  of  the  officers.  Ysopete  is 
making  them  understand  the  wishes  of  Long  Arrow; 
i.  e.,  to  be  i>ermitted  to  shoot  the  lightning  bow.  Af- 
ter speaking  with  the  commander  and  procuring  his 
persmision,  Alonso  tells  Monte  to  bring  his  harque- 
bus, which  is  carefully  primed  in  case  of  accident, 
and  the  party,  and  of  course  many  spectators,  go  a 
short  distance  from  camp,  and  a  target  of  bones  is 
soon  thrown  up  with  the  skull  of  a  buffalo  on  the  apex 
for  tlie  thing  to  be  aimed  at.  The  Indian  of  the 
**Strong  Men"  (Osages)  is  given  directions  how  to 
handle  the  weapon,  being  admonished  not  to  pull  the 
trigger  until  he  sights  along  the  barrel,  and  standing 


ALONSO  POISONBD.  249 

but  a  short  distance  his  shot  makes  the  bones  fly, 
which  so  tickles  the  fellow  that  he  jumps  and  yells 
like  an  Indian!  Then  Ysopete  requests  Alonso  to 
permit  his  youngs  chief,  Tatarrax,  to  have  a  go,  so  he 
is  likewise  accommodated,  and  manages  to  bring  some 
splinters.  While  the  big  Osage  was  shooting,  Alonso 
is  examining  Long  Arrow's  bow,  and  when  the  Indian 
had  gotten  through  with  tjte  firearm  Alonso  asked 
him  to  explain  how  he  was  able  to  pull  such  an  instru- 
ment, and  the  Osage  being  from  Missouri  (part  of  the 
territory  roamed  by  this  tribe  was  in  that  state) 
'^showed"  how  he  used  same  in  true  Missouri  style. 
Then  Alonso  sent  an  arrow  from  it,  as  well  as  the 
young  chief's  bow  and  several  others,  so  as  to  judge 
the  various  instruments. 

After  the  last  episode  has  been  concluded,  Alonso 
goes  to  his  tent  to  rest,  but  it  is  not  long  before  he 
feels  a  peculiar  sensation  in  his  left  arm,  upon  which 
there  is  an  abrasion  of  the  skin,  which  was  caused  by 
the  lariat  rope  when  he  caught  JaramiUo's  horse,  and 
after  each  minute  the  pain  so  increased  that  he  called 
Monte 's  attention  to  it;  then  Monte  went  for  Ysopete 
who  at  once  pronounced  it  poison.  Then  there  was 
hurrying:  for  these  two  last  named  were  intensely 
solicitous  for  the  welfare  of  the  young  man,  in  fact 
they  idolized  him,  and  now  the  secret  which  Monte 
had  communicated  to  him  by  the  Chief  in  Cibola  is 
hastily  applied  to  the  place  where  the  skia  is  rubbed 
off,  for  it  cannot  be  called  a  wound,  and  faithfully  do 
these  two  friends,  in  deed  as  well  as  in  need,  care  for 
the  young  Spaniard,  and  before  the  morning  sun 
rises  the  swelling  has  gone  down  and  the  pain  has 


250  TUE  ANTIDOTE. 

ceased,  thanks  to  the  prompt  and  more  especially  to 
the  valuable  antidote  in  the  possession  of  Monte.  The 
only  solution  of  the  cause  for  the  poisoning  was,  that 
some  of  the  arrows  which  Alonso  had  handled  were  or 
had  been  treated,  and  sufficient  had  gotten  into  the 
hurt. 


SIXTEENTH. 

MI    CHI    NKSHI   NAN^B» 
^^Michi  nishi  nanpe  mayuzaye,  Michi  nk$hi  nanpe  mayu/tttyel 
Ale  hey 9  lo,  Ate  heye  lo, 
Inichaghe-ktey  Inichaghs-kte, 

Ate  heye  lo,  Ate  heye  lo, 
Chanonpa  wan  chicha-upi,   Chano  npa  wan  Chdeha'Uptl 

Ate  heye  lo^  Ate  hehe  lo, 

Cha-yanipi-ktay  Cha-yanipi-kta, 

Ate  heye  lo,  Ate  heye  lo*** 


TRANSLATION: 
*iVly  son,  let  me  grasp  your  hand;  my  sob,  let  me  grasp  your  hand, 

Says  the  father,  says  the  father. 
You  shall  live,  you  shall  live, 

Says  the  father,  says  the  father.'^ 
{  bring  you  a  pipe,  1  bring  you  a  pipe,"' 

Says  the  father,  says  the  father. 
By  means  of  it  you  shall  live,  by  means  of  it  you  shall  livej 

Says  the  father,  says  the  father." 

Note.— The  above  lines  ire  Sioux  Indian  poetry,  and  are  here  Droduced 
to  ?i7e  a  conception  of  the  reverence  in  which  the  pipe  of  peace  was  held. 


HE  FOLLOWING  morning  after 
the  close  of  the  last  chapter  the  com- 
mander informed  his  company  that 
they  must  continue  their  journey  so 
as  to  get  hack  to  Tiguex  before  winter 
^  set  in,  so  Chief  Tatarrax  was  informed 
that  they  wouid  like  to  proceed  on  the  following  morn- 
ing, to  which  the  Chief  made  no  objection,  but  insisted 
before  leaving  that  the  pipe  of  peace  and  friendship 


252    ^  THE  PIPE  oir  peace. 

must  be  smolved  to  seal  the  good  will  of  both  partiw 
and  Coronado  could  do  nothing  else  but  acquiesce. 

At  the  appointed  time,  Goronado,  Alonso,  Jara- 
millo,  Father  Padilla  and  several  officers  met  a  goodlj 
number  of  natives  in  a  tent  or  hall.  After  the  formal 
introduction  had  been  gone  through,  (Ysopete,  acting 
aa  interpreter,)  there  was  a  large  circle  formed,  each 
man  sitting  on  the  ground  (these  people  had  no  inlaid 
or  mosaic  floors),  the  natives  with  their  legs  crossed 
in  their  customary  manner.  Then  Chief  Tatarrax 
called  upon  the  little  Osage  chief,  who  had  arrived  the 
day  before  with  a  large  party  of  warriors;  he  was 
a  man  to  be  respected,  for  his  tribe  combined  with 
the  great  Osages  were  more  powerful,  having  a  larger 
number  of  warriors  than  the  Kansans,  thus  the  rea- 
sons for  making  him  the  prominent  figure,  this 
man  being  a  born  leader  and  no  ordinary  character, 
for  it  was  by  merit  alone  that  caused  his  being  made 
chief,  as  these  men  of  nature  knew  that  a  pampered, 
born-with-a-silyer-spoon-in-his-mouth  man  rarely  had 
the  attributes  requisite  to  dominate  others.  The  talk 
of  the  Osage,  on  being  translated  by  Ysopete,  was  in 
effect  an  invitation  to  visit  the  chief's  villages,  pledg- 
ing his  protection  to  the  death.  After  inquiry  by 
Coronado  as  to  the  direction  where  the  chief  resided, 
it  was  agreed  that  the  country  of  the  Osages  should 
be  honored  by  the  presence  of  the  Spaniards.  In 
due  time  an  account  of  same  will  be  forthcoming,  as 
well  as  a  short  history  of  this  remarkable  branch  of 
the  Kansas  tribe. 

Other  chiefs  of  the  Pawnees,  Omahas  and  Mis- 
souris  also  requested  the  party  to  partake  of  their 


•THE  PIPE  EMBI^EMATIOAL  OF  TRUTH.        288 

hospitality,  but  except  with  the  Pawnees,  which  had 
been  already  arranged  was  to  be  their  nelt  etoppin^ 
place,  it  was  announced  that  ihe  plans  of  the  expedi- 
tion would  not  at  that  time  allow  of  their  remaining 
in  the  country  long. 

^  While  these  talks  are  going  on,  Chief  Tatarrax  Is 
preparing  the  pipe  of  peace,  which,  according  to  the 
highest  authority,  holds  an  important  p«rt  in  the 
mythology  and  ritual  of  almost  all  our  tribes,  easland 
west,  and  no  great  ceremony  is  complete  and  no 
treaty  w^as  ever  ratified  without  it.  It  is  generiHy 
symbolic  of  peace  and  truth.  As  a  peace  emblem,  it 
was  formerly  carried  by  every  bearer  of  a  friendly 
message  from  one  tribe  to  another,  and  was  smoked 
in  solemn  ratification  of  treaties,  the  act  of  smoking 
being  itself  in  the  nature  of  an  oath.  Among  the 
prairie  tribes,  an  individual  accused  of  crime  is  of- 
fered the  sacred  pipe,  and  if  he  accepts  it  and  smokes 
he  is  declared  innocent,  as  no  Indian  would  dare  to 
smoke  it  if  guilty.  The  ordinary  ceremonial  pipe  of 
the  prairie  tribes  is  made  of  the  red  stone  known  as 
catlinite,  from  the  famous  pipe-stone  quarry  in  Min- 
nesota, which  still  retains  its  name  by  the  city  of 
Pipestone,  in  the  county  of  the  same  name  in  the  old 
country  of  the  *'Sioux."  One  of  these  catlinite  pipes 
was  unearthed  near  Stockdale,  Riley  county,  Kansas. 
The  only  peculiar  thing  is,  it  has  no  holes  bored,  either 
for  the  tobacco  or  stem.  It  shows  that  although  the 
Kansas  tribe  were  many  hundred  miles  from  the 
quarry  in  Minnesota,  yet  they  had  the  material  for  a 
sacred  peace  pipe.  A  cut  of  the  pipe  is  shown  in 
"Quivira;'*  also  a  common  pipe  made  from  chalk,  ex- 


254  **TABACUM''    NOT   TOBACCX). 

humed  at  a  place  on  the  Big  Blue  river,  plainly  shows 
having  been  used,  thus  demonstrating  the  use  of  some 
material  for  smoking. 

Before  proceeding  with  the  ceremony,  it  may  be 
well  to  dissertate  on  tobacco  and  its  substitutes.  Is 
it  not  a  fact  that  invariably  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  is 
^ven  credit  for  the  introduction  of  the  weed  into  Eu- 
rope? But  the  authorities  name  DeOvildo,  a  Spaniard, 
^iS  being  the  one  who  first  took  the  seeds  to  Spain; 
then  Jean  Nicot,  a  Frenchman,  in  1560  taught  its  use ' 
to  his  countrymen,  and  the  word  nicotine  is  derived 
from  his  surname.  The  books  give  1560  as  the  date' 
of  its  appearance  in  France,  at  which  time  Raleigh 
was'^ight  years  of  age:  so  considering  the  inter- 
course between  England  and  France,  and  that  one 
<X)untry  is  only  distant  from  the  other  twenty-five 
miles  across  the  British  Channel,  it  would  seem  that 
the  honor  (if  any)  is  not  to  he  of  cloak  fame.  There ' 
ture** numerous  species  of  tobacco,  but  the  commou 
American  plant  was  grown  by  the  Indians  along  the 
Missouri,  and  the  origin  of  the  name  is  supposed  to 
be  from  the  Indian  appellation  of  **tabacum/*  whk^ 
very  nearly  sounds  like  the  word  as  now  used. 

However,  in  the  work  so  much  referred  to»  it  Ssv 
stated:  '*Since  the  introduction  of  manufactnresd  to-- 
bacco,  most  Indians  purchase  inferior  grades.  Pbsc 
is  preferred,  but  this  is  generally  mixed  with  the  Jta- 
tive  product.  In  former  times,  leaves  of  the  sumsadb: 
were  used  for  smoking;  the  mixture  contained  tannie. 
.acid,  which  produced  bronchial  irritation.  But  amon^ 
the  Indians  the  bark  of  the  osier  and  red-wood  were 
irequently  used,  but  when  tobacco  was  to  be  had,  they 


THE   TOEAC5CO  EUCHARIST.  255 

mixed  part  osier  bark  or  red-wood  bark,  two  parts, 
one  of  which  being  put  with  one  of  tobacco/' 

Tatarrax  has  filled  the  pipe  and  handed  it  to  the 
Osage  chief  on  his  right,  who  Ughts  it,  and  having  ta- 
ken a  few  whiffs  hands  it  back;  then  Tatarrax,  witti- 
ont  a  word,  slowly  and  with  great  dBhberation  inhales 
the  smoke.  The  ceremony  is  not  conducted  like  an 
ordinary  convivial  i>arty  of  smokers,  pnffing  and 
blowing  it  as  does  a  locomotive,  but  with  as  much 
reverence  as  Christian  folks  partake  of  the  Eu- 
charist. There  is  no  hurry;, and  one  thing  an  In- 
dian has  to  acquire;  is,  not  to  moisten  the  stem,  (as 
we  are  accustomed  to  doing).  **0n  gaining  a  mouth- 
ful of  smoke,  the  lips  are  slightly  parted — at  either 
side  or  toward  the  corner  of  the  mouth — and  air  is  in- 
haled so  as  to  mix  with  and  pass  down  the  throat  into 
and  lining  the  lungs.  The  slight  sound  of  rushing 
air  \vhich  is  heard  forms  an  essential  part  of  Indian 
etiquette,  for  it  is  indicative  of  satisfaction  and  enjoy- 
ment. After  a  moment's  suspense  the  contents  of 
the  lungs  and  air  passages  are  exhaled,  the  smoke  is- 
suing from  the  mouth  as  well  as  in  two  distinct  vol- 
umes from  the  nostrils.*'  After  the  chief  has  taken 
several  draws  he  hands  it  to  the  next  man  on  the  left 
(always  left),  who  goes  through  the  same  performance 
until  it  passes  around  the  circle,  and  no  conversation 
is  permitted  except  on  the  business  or  compact,  then 
in  few  sentences  and  in  whispers. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  ceremony,  Coronado  pre- 
sents a  number  of  presents  to  the  chiefs,  which  ter- 
minated the  meeting  very  happily.  Then  business  is 
taken  up.     The  commander  wishes  to  go  north  to  fur- 


250  WANT   TO  VIEW   THE   Bia  l^IVEIl. 

ther  examine  the  country  from  where  Turk  has  hailed, 
^Pawnee),  this  being  about  seventy-live  miles,  as 
learned  from  the  men  who  lived  there;  and  particu- 
larly the  leader  of  the  exploration  informs  the  natives 
that  he  very  much  wishes  to  view  the  big  river  told  of 
by  both  Turk  and  Ysopete. 

Then  arrangements  are  perfected  by  which  the 
Pawnees  agree  to  guide  the  party,  and  Tatarrax  de- 
tails fifty  young  warriors  to  act  as  an  escort,  with  the 
necessary  hunters  and  dog  teams  to  keep  the  party 
supplied  with  meat,  as  well  as  sufficient  transporta- 
tion for  the  Spaniards'  baggage. 


v|<^0 


LOUIE  BAHALE. 

Takeo  at  PaWQee,  Oklahoma,  iQ  !908.     f[  Paw- 
nee Chief  of  Band. 


B^r     r-' ^H 

« 

B  *  1.  ^'  'j/  4^1 

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■^^fr   Ik ''1^1 

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^^^^^^^^1 

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^^^^^^m  ^^ "  >3j| 

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SEVENTEENTH. 


AS  IT  WAS 

Kansas  and  Nebraska — ^ 
Synonym  for  disaster, 
To  mortgage  plaster 
By  financial  master- 

BUT  NOW 

Her  banks  are  not  of  sand, 
But  sound  to  beat  the  band: 
So  cripple  her  if  you  can, 
Mr.  WaU  Street  Man! 


A  GOOD   joke!  ' 

The  above:  *'So  cripple  her  if  you  can,  Mr.  WalLi 
StREET  Man,"  was  written  before  Thursday,  Novem- 
ber 7,  1907,  on  which  day  all  banks  in  Kansas,  and  for 
that  matter  every  bank  and  trust  company  in  the 
United  States  shut  down  and  refused  to  permit  their 
depositors  to  draw  out  to  exceed  $5.00  or  $10.00.  This 
was  necessitated  by  the  action  of  the  Wall  street 
financiers  and  New  York  banks  refusing  to  allow  the 
currency  in  their  vaults  being  paid  out — thus  demon- 
strating the  power  still  wielded  by  a  few  men  in  New 
York  city. 


YOU-may  be  sure  the  next  morning  all  were 
busy,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest.  The 
General  with    orders,  but    mostly    with 
friendly  greetings  to  the  many  kind  chil- 
dren of  the  plains  with  whom  he  had  become  acquaint- 
•ed.    Chief  Tatarrax  did  everything  known  to  him  to 


258  LEAVING   MANHATTAN. 

demonstrate  his  friendship,  and  so  did  all  the  chiefs ; 
it  was  understood  by  the  chief  of  the  Osage  nation 
that  the  party  after  visiting  the  Pawnees  and  the  Kan- 
sans  at  the  city  of  the  Twenty-four  should  then  pro- 
ceed south  on  their  way  home,  sojourning  for  a  few 
days  at  their  Missouri  village,  one  of  the  homes  of  the 
** Strong  Men,"  the  strangers  being  made  to  under- 
stand that  they  would  receive  such  a  recp*ption  as 
never  before. 

It  was  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  when 
our  people  got  fairly  started,  and  what  with  the  Paw- 
nees who  were  returning  home,  the  Omahas,  who 
lived  in  the  same  direction  as  the  last  named,  and  a 
goodly  number  of  Kansans  whose  abode  was  in  the 
northeast  portion  of  Quivira,  there  were  others  who 
were  so  overpowered  with  curiosity,  that,  like  a  boy  fol- 
lowing soldiers  marching  with  a  band,  they  could  not 
resist  the  desire  to  view  the  wonderful  sight  as  long 
as  possible;  and  we  must  not  forget  the  fifty  war- 
riors assigned  the  duty  of  protecting  and  guiding  the 
new  friends.  The  hunters  had  already  gone  before, 
it  being  arranged  that  they  were  to  have  sufficient 
commissary  at  the  camping  place  selected  for  the  first 
evening,  which  was  about  three  miles  east  of  Louis- 
ville, Pottawatomie  county,  on  the  Red  Vermillion. 
The  route  selected  was  over  a  country  without  settle- 
ment, so  there  was  abundant  game.  Camp  was  reach- 
ed rather  early  in  the  afternoon,  because  the  horses 
were  fresh  and  there  was  a  well  defined  trail:  so  on 
reaching  their  destination  the  first  evening,  Alonso, 
in  company  with  Monte  and  Ysopete,  took  in  the 
sights  as  it  were.    It  was  new  to  Alonso  to  witness  a 


BiVRBECUED  BUFFALO.  259 

barbecue,  but  now  he  had  an  opportunity  to  examine 
the  manner  in  which  the  Indians  cooked  for  a  large 
number  of  people.  In  the  first  place,  it  was  amusing 
to  watch  some  of  the  hunters  bring  in  a  young  buffalo 
on  their  pole  sledges  drawn  by  dogs.  To  hghten  the 
load  the  entrails  were  left  behind  where  the  animal 
was  lolled.  This  would  reduce  the  weight  about  one- 
half,  and  with  the  hide  on  to  keep  clean  while  getting 
to  the  evening's  rendezvous.  Just  as  soon  as  the 
men  could,  they  commenced  to  skin  the  animal,  and 
they  did  it  as  quick  as  the  modern  butcher,  (at  least, 
so  state  the  writers),  notwithstanding  they  only  had 
flint  knives;  but  that  you  may  yourself  know  what  was 
really  said  along  this  line  of  the  Kansas  Indians  when 
first  seen  367  years  ago,  the  following  is  verbatim 
from  the  original:  "They  cut  the  hide  open  at  the 
back  and  pull  it  off  at  the  joints,  using  a  flint  as  large 
as  a  finger,  tied  to  a  little  stick,  with  as  much  ease  as 
if  working  with  a  good  iron  tool.  They  give  it  an  edge 
with  their  own  teeth.  The  quickness  with  which 
they  do  this  is  something  worth  seeing  and  noting. '^ 
After  the  animal  was  skinned,  two  green  skewers 
about  two  inches  in  diameter  were  pushed  through 
the  meat,  and  it  is  then  ready  to  be  barbecued,  which 
is  done  by  making  a  ditch  in  the  ground  about  eight 
feet  long  and  three  feet  wide  and  three  deep;  then 
brush  and  wood  is  put  into  the  excavation  and  burnt 
to  red  coals,  then  the  big  skewers  are  rested  on  the 
ends  of  the  pit,  the  whole  carcass  being  over  the  fire. 
You  can  rest  assured  no  grill  restaurant  can  make 
finer  flavored  meat  than  is  produced  by  the  barbecue 
process.    In  the  early  settlement  of  Kansas  it  Wiis  a 


260  'CORN  DODGERS"   THOSE  DAYS. 

taking  card  for  the  enterprising  towns  to  have  a  bar- 
becue on  the  4th  of  July,  as  it  would  bring  Indians 
fifty  miles  to  be  reminded  of  old  times,  and  after  hav- 
ing a  good  blow-out  were  willing  to  entertain  the 
crowd  with  a  dance  in  true  Indian  fashion.  Th^  bread, 
or  as  the  early  white  settlers  called  it,  *'corn  dodger," 
(for  mind  you,  the  Indians  when  discovered  in  Amer- 
ica knew  nothing  of  flour,)  was  made  from  the 
flour  of  the  corn  and  the  acorn,  instead  of  the 
flour  of  wheat.  Although  it  may  not  be  very  good 
argument  to  suggest  that  ahorse,  cow,  hog  or  chicken 
will  not  thrive  nearly  so  well  on  wheat  as  they  will  on 
corn,  yet  why  will  not  this  hold  good  with  the  higher 
animals?  The  Spaniards  did  not  take  kindly  to  the 
aerated,  ash-aerated  buffalo, — manureated  bread  would 
better  express  the  thought, — for  the  '*modus  operan 
di"  was  to  mix  the  meal,  then  put  it  right  on  top  of  the 
hot  embers.  Now  there  would  be  nothing  very  nasty 
about  this  method  if  wood  was  used  to  make  the  hot 
coals,  but  should  the  surface  peat  be  utilized  in  the 
way  of  chips,  then,  if  you  knew,  the  thought  of  ihe 
manner  of  its  being  aerated  would  cut  some  figure; 
but  if  you  did  not  know  that  chewed  grass  had  been 
utilized,  you  might  smack  your  lips  and  exclaim,  as 
one  does  when  eating  a  piece  of  ham  smoked  with 
hickory  wood,  *'What  a  delicious  flavor  it  has!" 

While  on  this  day's  march  numerous  towns  are 
seen,  but  the  inhabitants  were  very  much  wilder  than 
the  Indians,  and  showed  by  their  actions  of  having  no 
desire  for  civilization,  much  preferring  their  own  man- 
ner of  architecture  and  living.  These  permanent  res- 
idents of  the  prairies  have  some   peculiar   habits. 


.NUMKIIOUS  '"PRAHUE  DOG"  TOWNS."       261 

i; 

Their  ca&tles  are  surrounded  by  walls;  they  have  sen- 
tinels with  the  eyes  of  hawks  to  observe  the  least 
thing  that  is  going:  on,  and  if  you  have  never  witnessed 
how  alert  these  watchers  are,  you  may  take  it  for 
granted  that  they  excel  even  the  Indians  themselves 
for  quickness  of  eyesight.  These  toAvns  even  at  this 
period  are  still  numerous,  being  always  built  on  well 
drained,  sloping  land,  for  the  natives  are  smarter  than 
the  whites,  and  don't  propose  to  have  their  homes  inun- 
dated as  did  the  people  of  old  who  lived  in  Mesopota- 
mia. The  very  name  ** Mesopotamia"  meant  **Be- 
tween  the  Rivers,"  or,  as  the  Arabs  said,  **A1 
Jesira,"  The  Island:  so  is  there  any  wonder  that 
when  the  large  rivers  Euphrates  and  Tragris  over- 
flowed, that  they  lost  their  homes  and  their  lives  as 
weU,  all  except  a  family  named  Noah,  who  had  a  large 
barge  in  which  he  put  all  the  cattle  and  animals  he 
could  gather  up,  so  as  to  have  a  start  in  life  when  tha 
flooded  district  dried  up? 

But  to  compare  with  the  province  of  Quivira,  and 
within  a  few  years  previous  to  1907:  still  our  people 
would  not  pattern  after  the  little  denizens  of  the  prai- 
rie, but,  like  the  foolish  man  of  old,  built  their  homes 
ui)on  the  sand  and  mud,  so  when  the  floods  came  their 
houses  washed  away.  Thus  the  capital  of  Quivira, 
Topeka,  and  the  city  of  the  Wyandottes,  Kansas  City, 
and  many  other  burgs  have  reason  to  remember  the 
parable  of  the  Great  Teacher. 

But  coming  back  to  the  * 'Lilliputian"  towns  of  the 

prairie,  the  occupants  of  which  have  original  tastes^ 

.  in  that  they  associate  and  fraternize  with  the  specie* 

commonly  designated  rattlers,  buU,  garter  and  num- 


262         OWLS,  SNAKES  AND  PRAIRIE  DOGS. 

erous  other  named  snakes;  8«id  their  most  original 
and  useful  friend  is  the  owl. 

Right  here  you  protest  and  exclaim,  **Cease  whip- 
ping the  devil  around  these  towns,  and  come  to  the 
point!"  Well,  here  you  are:  It  is  a  fact  that  the  prai- 
rie dog  towns  are  very  numerous;  they,  like  the  other 
natives,  cannot  abide  or  live  with  the  new  people,  so 
there  are  not  so  many  of  these  towns  as  formerly;  it 
is  a  fact  that  they  make  their  abodes  isolated  from 
each  other,  and  from  appearances  it  would  seem  as 
though  each  family  had  its  little  home,  for  the  mounds 
or  roofs  of  their  houses  are  very  numerous.  At 
every  town  there  are  a  large  number  of  small  owls; 
their  faces  and  eyes  in  every  way  resemble  the 
screech  owl,  except  they  are  smaller,  being  about  one- 
half  the  size  of  an  ordinary  owl,  and  they  mostly 
perch  upon  a  mound,  and  it  is  reasonable  to  presume 
are  on  good  terms  with  the  dogs.  And  further,  the 
snakes  of  the  prairies  make  their  dens  in  the  holes 
with  the  prairie  dogs.  Citing  C.  A.  Murray's  **Trav- 
els  in  North  America,"  which  is  a  nice  description: 
* 'Their  number  is  incredible,  and  their  cities,  for  they 
deserve  no  less  a  name,  full  of  activity  and  bustle. 
As  soon  as  the  hand  is  raised  to  a  gun  they  pop  into 
their  holes  with  amazing  rapidity."  They  are  about 
the  size  of  squirrels,  and  somewhat  resemble  them. 
They  have  a  kind  of  bark  like  a  dog. 

Not  only  did  the  party  see  dog  towns,  but  game 
and  game.  There  were  not  as  many  buffalo  right 
here;  the  herds  were  small;  but  elk,  deer,  turkeys, 
prairie  chickens,  not  considering  the  carniverous 
wolves,  bears,  wild  cats,  opossums  and  badgers  .vere 


GAME,   GAME,  GAME.        '       ^""       263 

v&tf  ntmferous.  How  could  it  be  otherwise  when  it  is* 
authoritatively  stated  by  a  gentleman  who  was  where 
Manhattan  stands,  and  says  the  blue  stem  was  so  tall 
that  he  could  tie  it  over  his  head;  so  it  must  have  been 
over  six  feet  high;  and  where  such  grass  grows  it  is 
certain  to  be  a  paradise  for  game. 

From  near  Louisville  the  party  next  day  got  up 
to  the  Vermillion  near  Onaga,  Pottawatomie 
county.  The  map  will  convince  you  what  a  natural 
route  it  was.  The  distance  covered  on  this  second 
day  is  about  twenty  miles.  Any  one  who  may  have 
been  on  the  prairies,  especially  in  the  locality  where 
our  party  is  camped,  will  say  Amen!  to  the  statement 
that  a  July  evening  here  is  as  salubrious  and  enjoya- 
ble as  any  place;  and  while  enjoying  the  evening's  rest 
before  retiring,  Alonso  and  Monte  stroll  on  top  of  a 
bluff  adjoining  the  river  and  entertain  each  other  with 
their  thoughts.  To  confess  the  truth,  Alonso  seemed 
as  though  he  must  commune  with  some  one  about  the 
woman  who  is  ever  uppermost  in  his  thoughts,  so 
while  reclining  on  nature's  carpet  he,  as  it  were,  emp- 
tied his  receptacle  of  thoughts  upon  Monte,  and  felt 
better  for  so  doing.  Usually  it  is  manly  and  cou- 
rageous to  keep  one's  counsel  and  thoughts  to  him- 
self when  in  love,  but  at  times  a  man  or  woman  will 
become  so  overbalanced  with  the  ever-present  subject 
that  it  becomes  oppressive,  and  like  a  business  man 
in  financial  straits  it  does  good  to  unbosom  one's  long- 
ing or  fears  to  a  friend  in  whom  you  have  confidence; 
so  Alonso,  having  implicit  faith  in  the  young  Motecus- 
homa,  commences  his  conversation  in  the  following 
manner:     "Monte,  you  will  not  consider  me  a  milk 


264  AIX)NSO  RKVBAIiS  HIS  LOVE. 

sop  for  my  talking  with  you  about  my  dear  lady,  but 
I  need  not  ask  that  question,  for  I  know  you  too  well 
for  that.  O  Monte!  I  love  her  so  much  that  I  some- 
times am  afraid  of  becoming  unbalanced  because  of 
the  constant  thinking  of  her;  if  I  could  only  see  her 
for  a  few  minutes  so  as  to  press  her  sacred  lips  to 
mine!  Do  you  know,  Monte,  since  the  tournament, 
after  which  by  the  rules  of  chivalry  I  was  entitled  to 
the  smiles  and  presence  of  her  of  my  choice,  and  yet 
to  be  so  far  away'  My  God!  I  thought  my  head  would 
split  open  the  night  of  that  affair,  for  it  seemed  the 
list  brought  up  to  my  vision  the  many  passages  of 
arms  which  I  have  witnessed  since  a  boy,  and  when 
the  time  is  reached  when  by  custom  I  am  entitled  to 
at  least  a  pressure  of  the  hand  from  my  beautiful 
queen — well,  well,  O  God!  please  give  me  strength  to 
stand  erect  like  a  man  and  not  allow  one  thought  of 
doubt  to  pass  my  brain,  for  I  am  sure  she  will  be 
faithful  to  me,  as  You  are  witness  to  my  honor  and 
reverence  for  her.  Keep  her,  protect  her  for  both 
our  sakes,  for  Father,  it  is  Your  guidance  and  strength 
that  has  protected  my  body  and  soul  up  to  this  time, 
for  which  accept  my  thanks  from  the  bottom  of  my 
heart;  and  you  know  whether  I  deserve  Your  pro- 
tecting hand  to  sustain  me  while  going  through  the 
awful  mental  ordeal,  and  Lord,  speak  to  her  so  that 
she  may  be  comforted  and  not  depressed  in  spirits  as 
I  have  been  for  many  days." 

And  then  the  poor  fellow  broke  down  and  sobbed, 
but  the  gates  of  the  brain  had  been  opened  by  his 
friend  on  earth  and  the  Greater  One  above.  Without 
speaking  a  word,  IMonte  took  his  friend's  both  hands 


THROUGH   POT^^AV/ATOMIE  COUNTY,         265 

in  Lis,  ana  with  a  pressure  that  spoke  louder  than 
words  raised  him  to  his  feet  and  directed  him  toward 
the  camp;  and  that  night  for  the  first  time  in  several 
weeks  Alonso  slept  like  a  laboring  man,  who  has  some 
one  else  to  do  the  thinking.        ^^  ,^.  '' 

And  now  the  third  day's  march  is  on,  and  the  ex- 
pedition has  onjy  live  miles  to  p;o  when  it  will  be  out 
of  the  county  named  after  the  emigrant  tribe  of  Kan- 
eas  Indians,  whiclitribeform.er]y  hunted  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Chicago.  The  name  signities  **Brave  Men," 
or  Pottawatomies.  They  helped  the  French  to  defeat 
Brad  dock;  were  at  the  fall  of  Quebec,  on  the  Plains  of 
Abraham  and  allied  themselves  with  the  British  in 
the  war  of  1812.  They  were  tlie  principals  in  the 
Port  Dearborn  (Chicago)  massacre  in  1812,  where  the 
Americans  agreed  to  evacuate  on  being  allowed  to 
leave  unharmed,  to  which  the  Indian  besiegers  agreed, 
but  after  they  were  on  the  march  the  Indians  attack- 
ed and  killed  a  large  number;  the  others  were  made 
slaves;  also  they  were  with  Pontiac,  the  c]vl<  f  of  the 
Ottawas,  helping  the  French  to  whip  the  Iroquois 
nation  of  Indians,  and  stiU  later  took  part  with  Te- 
cumseh  at  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  it  being  Kehtipa- 
quonank,  or  **The  Great  Clearing"  as  it  was  called 
by  them,  but  which  has  been  corrupted  to  Tippe- 
canoe. 

The  name  of  Braddock  has  been  mentioned  above, 
and  so  unusual  is  the  following  incident  that  you  vnll 
no  doubt  excuse  taking  up  your  time  in  its  recital: 

**The  Virginia  provincials,  under  Washington,  by 
their  knowledge  of  border  warfare  and  cool  courage 
alone  saved  the  day.     Braddock  was  himself  mortally 


886-  THB   POTTAWATOMIE  INDIANS. 

wounded  by  a  provincial  named  Fausett,  A  brother 
of  the  latter  had  disobeyed  the  silly  orders  of  the  Gen- 
eral, that  the  troops  should  not  take  positions  behind 
the  trees,  whereupon  Brad  dock  rode  up  and  struck  him 
down.  Fausett,  who  saw  the  whole  transaction,  im- 
mediately drew  up  his  rifle  and  shot  him  (Braddock) 
through  the  lungs." 

Formerly  the  Pottawatomie  reservation  took  in 
part  of  the  county  of  that  name,  but  now  their  dimin- 
ished reservation  is  a  square  block  of  land  eleven 
miles  square  in  Jackson  county,  the  north  line  being 
only  about  three  miles  south  of  the  city  of  Holton;  the 
number  given  as  residing  thereon  being  462. 

Again,  before  leaving  the  Pottawatomie  history 
let  it  be  cited:  *'From  the  time  of  the  arrival  of 
the  Pottawatomies  at  their  new  home  in  Kansas  they 
lived  at  peace  with  the  government,  and  had  no  diffi- 
culty with  the  neighboring  tribes,  except  in  1850, 
when,  on  account  of  frequent  depredations  committed 
by  the  Pawnee  tribe,  the  Pottawatomies  declared  war 
against  them.  •  The  first  engagement  between  the 
warriors  of  the  two  tribes  was  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Blue  river,  near  the  Rocky  Ford,  and  on  territory  now 
included  within  the  limits  of  Pottawatomie  county. 
In  this  engagement  the  Pottawatomies  were  victo- 
rious, and  compelled  the  Pawnees  to  retreat  west  to 
Chapman  creek;  here  the  Pawnees  rallied,  and  here 
was  fought  a  fierce  and  bloody  battle.  Some  of  the 
Pottawatomie  braves  displayed  great  valor  and  won 
for  themselves  great  fame  as  warriors  among  the 
members  of  their  tribe;  one  of  the  braves,  Now-quah- 
ge  /.hick,  particularly  distiaguishedhimself  by  daring 


THE   PAWNEES  DEFEATED  267    * 

feats  of  bravery  and  the  number  of  scalps  of  the  en- 
emy which  he  took  in  battle.  The  Pottawatomies 
came  off  victorious,  and  forever  after  lived  in  peace. 

Although  the  north  line  of  the  county  just  trav- 
ersed is  passed,  yet  history  states  that  Nemaha  was 
formerly  a  part  of  the  Pottawatomie  and  Pox  reser- 
vation. The  hunters  have  arranged  to  camp  on  the 
Nemaha  river  near  the  present  town  of  Kelly.  Look- 
ing at  the  large  local  map  it  is  discovered  that  the 
creeks  run  nearly  north  and  south,  and  it  is  frequent- 
ly discussed  that  the  Nemaha  heads  near  Corning, 
Nemaha  county,  and  runs  north  for  twenty-four  miles 
before  it  turns  east  to  get  into  the  Missouri,  whereas 
the  Red  Vermillion  heads  within  a  mile  of  the  Nemaha 
and  runs  south.  Again,  the  Nemaha  runs  directly 
north  for  twenty-four  miles,  and  at  the  point  where  it 
reaches  the  Nebraska  line  it  is  only  a  few  hundred 
feet  from  the  same  range  line  where  it  heads,  so  it 
must  have  been  the  natural  trail,  and  those  who  trav- 
ersed this  country  fully  comprehend  what  a  ^fine  way 
it  makes.  The  party  passed  today  an  interesting  ele- 
vation, which  ife  reached  very  gradually  from  the 
north  or  south;  i.  e.,  where  the  city  of  Corning  is  lo- 
cated, nearly  due  west  of  Atchison  about  fifty-six 
miles,  and  is  the  highest  point  between  the  Missouri 
river  and  the  city  of  Waterville,  which  is  100  miles 
west  of  the  great  river  named:  so  while  the  party 
were  going  up  the  Red  Vermillion  to  its  head,  it 
only  took  a  few  minutes  for  them  to  reach  the 
head  of  the  Nemaha,  when  they  would  go  down  stream. 
Not  a  thing  occurs  to  mar  the  progress  of  the  expedi- 
tion, so  they  are  again  wending  their  way  north,  and 


268         SBNB)CA,  NEMAHA  CX)UIf TY,  KANSAS. 

now  the  Pftwneea  begin  to  meet  them,  for  runner« 
have  carried  the  news  of  the  approach  of  the  party. 
It  is  quite  early  in  the  morning  of  the  fourth  day  out 
of  Manhattan  when  they  reach  the  present  location  of 
Seneca,  Nemaha  county,  and  where  the  great  over- 
land route  is  crossed.  Speaking  of  this  great  high- 
way brings  many  incidents  to  mind;  for  instance,  it 
was  in  the  year  1842,  it  is  claimed,  that  the  first  aath- 
orized  Government  expedition  passed  through  the 
county.  It  was  Fremont,  who  was  south  of  Sabetha, 
thence  west  to  Baker's  Ford  nine  miles  north  of  Sen- 
eca, then  \iorthwest  to  the  northwest  corner  of  the 
county.  Two  years  after  Fremont  passed  through, 
the  Mormon  pioneers  took  the  same  route  on  ttieir 
way  from  Nauvoo,  Hancock  county,  Illinois,  which 
city  the  Mormons  founded  in  the  year  1838.  This 
city  now  has  about  2,000  population.  The  cause  of  the 
Mormons  desiring  to  get  away  from  everybody  was 
the  fact  of  the  bad  treatment  of  the  ''roughs,"  who 
hung  Joseph  Smith  in  1844.  It  was  in  February,  1846, 
when  a  large  party  crossed  the  ice-bound  Mississippi 
in  Iowa,  but  in  July,  1847,  Brigham  Young  himself 
reached  Salt  Lake  City,  and  the  next  year  the  exodus 
of  the  balance  of  the  people  took  place. 

In  1854,  men  now  living  settled  near  Seneca,  and 
it  has  been  handed  down  as  perfectly  authentic  that  a 
numerous  party  of  Mormons  camped  on  the  largest 
lake  in  Nemaha  county,  or  for  that  matter  anywhere 
else  near,  it  containing  thirty  to  forty  acres,  and  ow- 
ing to  there  being  an  epidemic  among  them  they 
drained  the  Murphy  Lake  to  get  the  fish,  and  to  this 
clay  the  ditch  where  they  dug  can  be  plainly  traced. 


THE  TRAII.  OF  THE  MORMONS.  2(Jft 

Also  for  many  years  tne  graves  showed  where  the 
dead  were  buried  on  the  sloping  ground.  It  is  con- 
ceded that  the  MOers  came  this  way  to  reach  Califor- 
nia, and  in  Aprils  1850,  Major  Ogden,  quartermaster 
at  Fort  Leavenworth,  with  an  escort  of  some  Kickapoo 
guides,  laid  out  a  road  northwesterly  to  a  point  be- 
hind Seneca  to  intersect  the  road  from  St.  Joseph, 
Missouri,  at  the  croi?««ing  of  Big  Blue  river,  now 
Marysville. 

From  1849  until  the  building  of  the  Union  Pacific 
and  other  railroads,  the  overland  route  to  the  west 
was  via  Nemaha  county,  and  for  fifteen  years  this  road 
was  traveled  to  such  an  extent  that  it  is  no  trouble  to 
follow  same  through  the  cultivated  farms  because  of 
the  deep  ruts  left,  and  at  some  places  the  road  is  visi- 
ble for  several  hundreds  of  feet  in  width.  This  was 
the  mail  route  used  by  the  Government.  Along  this 
road  it  was  that  Mark  Twain  rode  with  Monks  and 
Bob  Ridley  (Bob  Sewell),  the  renowned  drivers,  and  a 
few  boys,  who  are  now  old  men,  rode  Pony  Express 
through  the  towns  of  Hiawatha  in  Brown  county,  and 
Granada  and  Seneca  in  Nemaha  county,  thence  on 
west  to  Marysville.  When  the  trains  of  wagons  were 
proceeding  over  this  road  there  would  be  miles  and 
miles  of  wagons  and  oxen,  taking  hours  in  going 
through  the  place  where  the  city  of  Seneca  now 
stands.  Occasionally  there  would  be  a  mule  team, 
but  nearly  all  the  wagons  were  drawn  by  oxen.  There 
was  a  road  which  came  from  Leavenworth,  but  it 
struck  the  government  highway  at  the  Seven  Mile 
house;  i.  e.,  seven  miles  from  Atchison,  and  the  road 
from  St.  Joseph  switched  onto  the  main  route  at 


270  ON  THE  OVERLAND  TRAIL 

Kennelnik,  Atchison  county.  The  average  numbor  of 
oxen  would  be  about  six  yoke  or  tweJve  head,  but  in 
1866  two  wagons,  each  loaded  with  a  boiler,  passed 
through  Seneca;  one  wagon  had  eleven  yoke  or  twen- 
ty-two head  of  cattle,  the  other  nine  yoke,  so  the 
wagon  vTith  eleven  yoke  would  stretch  out  a  distance 
of  about  130  feet.  If  kodacks  had  been  in  vogue  dur- 
ing the  overland  travel,  what  thrilling  pictures  could 
be  presented!  Men  trying  to  get  west  without  cattle 
but  by  the  aid  of  sails,  and  many  an  outfit  had  only 
hand-carts  which  they  pushed  all  the  way  to  the  Gold 
Fields  in  California,  and  frequently  their  hand-bar- 
rows would  have  a  little  sail.  Then  there  was  the  means 
of  propulsion  by  dogs;  this  in  many  of  the  European 
countries  at  the  present  time  is  utilized  by  hitching 
the  dog  to  the  axle  under  the  cart,  the  man,  or  fre- 
quently a  woman,  doing  the  steering,  and  giving  the 
team  a  kick  if  becoming  lax. 

Before  leaving  the  Overland  Route,  it  is  believed 
you  will  enjoy  the  following  digression: 

Robert  Sewell,  alias  Bob  Ridley,  was  for  many 
years  a  resident  of  Nemaha  county,  and  when  taking  ■ 
up  with  the  vocation  of  stage  driving  was  a  young  man 
above  the  average  for  size.  On  one  of  his  trips  he 
had  four  extra  good  mules,  and  when  near  Cottonwood 
Spring,  Lincoln  county,  Nebraska,  the  first  thing  Bob 
discovered  was  bullets  whizzing  past  him.  Such  a 
sound  was  a  reminder  that  Indians  were  on  the  war 
path,  but  more  common  in  those  days  a  party  of  them 
had  turned  into  common  highwaymen;  but  Bob  knew 
his  business,  as  well  as  how  to  handle  a  repeating 
Winchester,  which  every  driver  carried.  So  the  mules 


BOM  SEWlCLLi.  AIM  injiyVtNLm  DHIVEU.  271 

were  urged  to  their  topmost  speed,  and  every  once  in 
ia  while  Bob  dropped  an  Indian,  and  at  the  time  an  ac- 
I count  of  the  attempted  hold-up  had  it,  that  he  killed 
three  and  wounded  ten;  but  although  Bob  Sewell 
lived  In  the  same  town,  yet  when  questioned  about 
this  episode  would  laugh  it  off,  and  if  he  ever  did  give 
a  personal  account  of  the  affray  it  is  unlaiown.  But 
perhaps  because  of  his  reticence  to  brag,  for  Bob  was 
no  blow-hard,  was  the  motive,  or  more  likely  his  good 
judgment  impelled  his  silence. 

To  show  the  pecular  make-up  of  this  man,  here  is 
what  took  place  November  4,  1880,  this  being  the  eve- 
ning before  the  State  election  at  which  the  voters  were 
to  say  whether  the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors  should 
be  prohibited  in  Kansas:  Bob  was  addressing  a  num- 
ber of  young  men  on  the  measure,  stating  that  al 
though  he  was  addicted  to  drink,  yet  he  realized  the 
curse  it  had  been  to  him;  in  truth,  he  delivered  as  fine 
a  temperance  lecture  as  was  ever  uttered,  winding  up 
with  the  assertion  that  he  would  vote  for  the  meas- 
ure, but  notwithstanding  that  he  then  took  a  bottle 
from  his  pocket  and  wound  up  by  averring,  "Yet  I'll 
take  a  drink  right  now!*' 

But  we  are  stopping  too  long  at  this  road.  One 
would  think  there  was  a  half-way  house  where  liquors 
could  be  obtained:  not  so  in  1541:  so  up  the  beautiful 
valley  our  party  proceeds,  and  no  finer  farming  coun- 
try can  be  found  out-doors,  and  the  troop  is  beginning 
to  reach  where  the  Nemaha  is  large  enough  to  use 
canoes  if  desired;  but  the  evening's  goal  is  soon  to  bo 
reached,  and  now  we  are  crossing  the  40th  parallel. 
The  line  just  crossed  is  about  eighteen  miles  north  of 


272  CROSS  THE  FORTISTII  PAraLLEIi.  1 

last  night's  camping  ground,  and  altIiouc;fc  our  party 
knew  just  where  they  were  making  for,  yet  now  it 
would  be  admitted  there  is  doubt,  for  the  Quivira  His- 
torical Society  have  not  explored  this  region,  but  af- 
ter careful  examination  of  Marquette's  and  DuTis- 
senet's  maps,  and  from  what  can  be  dug  up  from  the 
records,  our  party  will  continue  due  north  until  the 
main  branch  of  the  Nemaha  river  is  reached  near  Ta 
ble  Rock,  Pawnee  county,  Nebraska.  So  our  party  wilZ 
be  compelled  to  stop  for  the  night,  as  they  have  come 
a  strong  twenty  miles  and  it  is  still  about  eight  miles 
to  Hie  village  where  they  are  about  to  stop.  There 
are  plenty  of  sight-seers,  for  has  not  the  news  spread 
more  than  it  would  by  telegraph?  Not  a  soul  in  the 
country  but  knew  of  the  approach  of  the  wonderful 
strangers.  It  is  no  trouble  for  Alonso  to  procure 
com  for  his  horse,  or  rather  for  Monte  and  Ysopete 
to  bargain  for  it.  Before  leaving  Manhattan,  Alonso 
made  up  his  mind  thiat  Babieca  should  be  fed  right  up 
to  the  handle,  as  he  resolved  to  use  him  for  some  stiff 
work  if  an  opportunity  is  afforded,  as  well  as  to  fit 
him  to  stand  the  long  trip  home,  for  Coronadohas  pri- 
vately intimated  to  his  lieutenant  that  he  is  going  to 
make  as  fast  time  as  possible  on  their  return. 

Bright  and  early  the  next  morning,  the  host,  for 
it  had  reached  numbers  which  entitled  it  to  such  a 
term,  began  its  short  journey,  and  here  is  what  took 
place:  **When  we  arrived  within  about  three  miles  of 
the  village,  we  were  requested  to  remain,  as  the  cere- 
mony of  receiving  the  Kxmsas  warriors  as  well  as  the 
other  Indians  into  the  towns  was  to  be  performed 
there.      There  was  a  small  circular  spot,  clear  of 


PAWNEES  OUT  EN   MASSE  273 

grass,  before  which  the  visiting  tribes  set  down.  We 
were  a  small  distance  in  advance  of  the  Indians.  The 
Pawnees  then  advanced  within  a  mile  of  us,  then  halt- 
ed, divided  into  two  troops  and  came  on  each  flank  at 
full  charg-e,  making  all  the  gestures  and  performing 
the  maneuvers  of  a  rc^al  war  charge.  They  then  en- 
circled us  around,  and  th.e  cliief  advanced  to  the  cen- 
ter and  gave  us  his  hand.  His  name  was  Character- 
ick.  He  was  accompanied  by  his  two  sons  and  a  chief 
by  the  name  of  Iskatapi>e.  The  Indians  were  still 
seated;  but  the  **Belle  Oisean"  (orator)  then  arose  and 
came  forward  with  a  pipe  and  presented  it  to  the 
c^ief,  who  took  a  whiff  or  two  from  it.  We  then  pro- 
ceeded on,,  the  chief ,  Coronado,  Alonso,  Jaramillo  and 
Father  Padilla;  the  troop,  baggage  and  servants  fol- 
lowed in  the  re^^r  with  the  Pawnees  each  side,  run- 
ning races,  etc.  When  we  arrived  on  the  hill  above 
the  town  We  were  again  halted,  and  the  Indian  visit- 
ors seated  themselves  in  a  rov7,  vv^hen  each  Pawnee 
who  intended  so  to  do  presented  whatever  desired  to 
the  members  of  the  other  tribes,  and  when  a  i^rcscnt 
was  made  a  pipe  was  also  given,  the  recipient  smok- 
ing same." 

llie  foregoing  is  changed  a  little,  for  it  is  the  lan- 
guage of  Lieutenants  Rke  and  Wilkinson,  September 
25,  1806,  when  they  visited  the  Pawnees,  and  the 
Osages  were  the  tribe  that  escorted  Pike  and  Willrin- 
son.  The  Pawnees  gave  eight  horses  to  the  visiting 
Osages  at  that  time.  All  the  authorities  say  the  Paw- 
nees had  a  different  dialect  from  any  other  of  the 
trans-Missouri  Indians,  so  Ysopete  could  only  use  the 
sign  language  common  to  all  Indians.     Do  you  note 


274         '       FATHER   MARQUETTE'S  MAP. 

the  similarity  in  the  names  of  the  Chief  Iskatappe 
and  our  guide? 

Poor  Ysopete!  how  anxious  he  is  getting  to  see 
his  people,  and  he  is  only  sixty-five  miles  from  home. 
Alonso  has  procured  his  freedom  from  the  general, 
Mid  the  faithful  fellow  is  no  longer  a  slave,  and  can 
leave  when  he  sees  fit;  hut  he  tells  his  kind  friends 
that  he  prefers  to  remain  with  them  until  the  City  of 
the  Twenty-four  is  reached,  and  this  is  appreciated, 
as  he  can  act  as  interpreter  when  the  Kansas  tribe  is 
visited  at  the  City  of  the  Twenty-four. 

-  The  map  made  by  Father  Marquette  132  years 
after  Coronado  was  in  Kansas  shows  four  villages 
within  thirty  miles  (estimated)  of  each  other.  The 
westermost  is  named  ''Pahatet."  (Although  a  power- 
ful magnifying  glass  was  used  to  decipher  the  name 
on  the  map,  yet  there  is  doubt;  the  *'Pah,"  or  first 
three  letters  are  plain,  but  the  *'a"  may  be  some- 
thing else;  the  next  letter,  *'i,"  is  all  right;  but  the 
last,  which  is  called  **t,"  may  perhaps  be  ''i."  This 
explanation  is  given  for  educational  purposes.)  The 
next  town  east  of  the  last  named  is  "Maha,"  then 
**Pana,''  and  nearest  the  Missouri  "Tontanta."  The 
four  towns  range  nearly  in  a  line  east  and  west.  The 
map  made  by  Du  Pratzs,  eighty-four  years  after 
the  reverend  father's,  only  gives  "Panis,  Mahas  or 
White  Panis,"  in  about  the  same  locality  as  the  first 
four  named.  This  is  further  west;  this  same  map 
also  designates  the  district  around  where  these  two 
towns  are  situated  as  the  "Country  of  the  Panis.'' 
From  a  reliable  source  it  is  found  that  the  Kansas  In- 
dians' name  for  the  Republican  river  was  "Pa-ne-ne- 


^  FIKE   AND   WIL.KINSON  275 

tah,"  or  Pawnee  river,  but  whether  the  **tah"  means 
river,  it  cannot  be  stated;  but  it  can  plainly  be  seen 
where  the  word  **Pana"  or  '*Panis"  came  from. 
**White  Panis,"  as  marked  on  the  map,  is  about  equi- 
distant between  the  Arkansas  and  Kansas  rivers;  but 
the  Republican  being  a  continuation  of  the  Kiinsas  ex- 
plains this.  The  last  named  town  is  located  due 
north  of  the  bend  in  the  Arkansas.  This  would  make 
it  at  the  forks  of  the  North  and  South  Solomon  riv- 
ers, near  the  west  hne  of  Mitchell  county.  Also,  the 
French  priest's  map  shows  a  village  of  '^Pamassa"" 
at  about  the  same  place. 

But  considering  what  Pike  and  Wilkinson  have  in 
their  official  reix)rt  to  the  Government,  wherein  they 
say  on  September  29,  180G,  they  were  at  the  Pawnee 
village  on  the  Repubhcan,  and  held  a  council  with  tiiis 
tribe,  and  the  location  is  given  as  being  near  the  pres- 
ent site  of  Scandia,  in  Republic  county;  this  would 
only  be  about  forty  miles  northwest  of  the  forks  of 
the  Solomon  river,  so  in  all  probability  it  was  in  this 
locality  where  a  branch  of  the  tribe  flourished;  and 
Mind  you,  those  early  maps,  taking  all  tilings  into 
consideration,  were  fairly  accurate.  Turk,  whom  we 
have  mentioned  before,  was  a  Pawnee  according  to 
the  book.  It  was  so  conjectured,  to  use  the  langua^ 
as  given:  ^'Tliinks  this  was  due  to  the  manner  in 
which  he  wore  his  hair,  characteristic  of  certain 
branches  of  the  Pawnees."  There  can  be  no  contro- 
versy relative  to  the  significance  of  the  word  **PMii," 
for  numerous  authorities  state  that  in  Indian  it 
means  '*Horn,"  and  refers  to  the  peculiar  manner  in 
which  the  Pawnees  dressed  their  hair,  making  the 


W6  acALipmo  BY  wmTES, 

hair  by  the  aid  of  pigments  to  resemble  a  horn  on  the 
crown  of  their  head.  What  that  style  of  hair  dress- 
ing was  is  not  stated.  This  naturally  brings  up  the 
custom  of  many  tribes  haring  their  hair  cUpped  so  as 
to  leave  a  tuft  at  the  top  for  \he  fellow  who  got  an  op- 
portunity to  grasp  the  same,  thus  making  a  good 
hand-hole  while  running  the  knife  around  the  man^s 
crown  who  is  to  lose  his  scalp.  After  careful  re- 
search there  cannot  be  found  anything  which  throws 
light  upon  the  origin  of  scalping.  It  would  seem  that 
if  it  was  resorted  to  in  1540-1541,  the  Spaniards  would 
have  mentioned,  because  there  were  frequent  oppor- 
tunities for  Indians  to  take  scalps.  With  aU  due  re- 
spect for  our  own  race,  it  looks  a  little  as  though  they 
themselves  originated  the  brutal  practice.  This  cchh- 
clusion  is  arrived  at  after  reading  the  foHowing, 
which  no  doubt  is  reliable: 

''Scalping,  the  act  peculiar  to  North  American 
Indian  warfare  of  partly  cutting,  partly  tearing  off 
a  piece  of  the  skin  of  the  head,  with  the  hair  attached; 
whether  the  victim  is  alive  or  dead  at  the  time  does 
not  effect  the  operation.  The  Indians,  with  whom 
scalps  are  the  trophies  of  victory,  have  always  left  a 
long  lock  or  tuft  on  the  scaJp  as  a  challenge.  Boun- 
ties have  in  American  history  more  than  once  been 
offered  for  scalps.  In  1724,  £100  (about  $500)  was  of- 
fered by  Massachusetts  for  Indian  scalps;  in  1754, 
during  the  French  and  Indian  War,  a  bounty  was 
offered  by  the  French  for  British  scalps,  and  by  the 
colonies  for  Indian  scalps;  in  1755,  Massachusetts  of- 
fered £40  for  every  scalp  of  a  male  Indian  over  twelve 
years  of  age  and  £20  for  scalps  of  women  and 
children  *' 


BOUNTIES  OFFERED  FOR  SCAT^PS.      277 

j 

What  do  you  think  of  that?  Is  there  any  wonder 
thare  were  a  lot  of  thugs,  yes  thujas,  real  Indian 
ones,  not  the  '*red'*  Indians  however,  but  the  type 
which  flourished  until  recently  in  the  E^t  Indies, 
and  who  for  many  years,  it  is  said^  were  licensed  or 
winked  at  by  the  Elast  Indian  Company  and  the 
British  Government  to  kill  any  stranger  passing 
througrh  their  district!  But  even  these  East  Indian 
thugs  spared  females,  which  seems  more  than  what 
the  great  State  of  Massachusetts  did. 

Suppose  our  Government  should  offer  a  pi-ize  of 
$500  for  every  Filippino  scalp  which  could  be  pro- 
cured, why  there  are  yet  a  class  of  men  who  would 
rush  over  to  the  Philippines  and  go  to  man-hunting, 
and  then  they  would  be  heroes!  One  more  thought: 
Out  west  here,  it  is  very  common  now  for  counties  to 
pay  a  bounty  for  wolf  scalps.  One  dollar  is  about  the 
average  price,  and  it  has  been  known  for  men  to 
watch  she  wolves  and  protect  them  in  their  lairs  un- 
til they  had  their  three  to  six  cubs,  and  when  they 
were  old  enough  so  as  the  scalp  would  unmistakably 
show  wolf,  the  hunter  would  then  kill  the  young 
ones,  but  permit  the  mother  to  escape  so  as  to  raise 
another  litter.  Again,  why  is  it  that  the  head  of  the 
Indian  was  not  demanded  for  the  $500?  Just  be- 
cause it  would  take  too  much  labor  for  a  man-hunter 
to  pack  a  few  heads,  whereas  the  hair  of  the  Indian 
was  so  pronounced,  that  there  could  be  no  possible 
mistake,  for  it  is  always  a  deep  black  color,  and  so 
unlike  a  white  man's. 

Bat  returning  to  our  expedition.  It  was  comfort- 
ably situated,  and  arrangements  with  the  chief  of  the 


278  PAWNEE  COURTESY. 

Pawnees  were  made  for  the  morrow's  entertainment, 
for  he  having  heard  of  the  doings  in  Chief  Tatarrax's 
villages  could  not  permit  the  strangers  to  be  slighted; 
but  Coronado  had  informed  the  chief  that  he  could 
only  remain  two  days,  as  he  must  hurry  the  men 
homeward,  and  begged  to  be  excused  from  partaking 
in  any  of  the  sports .  B ut  the  chief  thought  it  unfriend- 
ly: so  the  commander  was  compelled  as  a  matter  of 
policy  and  courtesy  to  do  something:  so  it  was  agreed 
the  second  day  should  be  when  they  were  to  enter- 
tain the  natives.  But  Coronado  felt  he  had  no  more 
struts  other  than  already  given,  hence  had  to  counsel 
with  the  whole  of  the  troop  so  as  to  arrange  a 
pirogram. 


EIGHTEENTH, 

We  are  now  over  the  fortieth  parallel^ 
Which  divides  Nebraska  from  hell, 
Where  black  Abolitionists  did  dwell, 
Watched  over  by  Brown  so  well; 
While  Missourians  did  cuss  and  swell, 
When  overrunning  the  territory  pell-mell, 
Waiting  for  the  liberty  bell  to  tell 
War  is  ended  and  slavery  as  well.    . 

NEBRASKA  is  called  in  Indian  ''Water  Val- 
ley or  Shallow  Water.**  And  how  appro- 
priate it  is,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  nature 
of  the  Platte  river,  which  nearly  cuts  the 
State  in  two,  and  of  most  of  the  streams  emptying  into 
it.  The  Platte  must  be  over  500  miles  long.  It  runs 
from  the  west  line  until  it  empties  into  the  Missouri 
on  the  east;  the  State  being  420  miles  in  length.  The 
name  ' 'Nebraska"  is  a  beautiful  one  and  is  musical 
besides  being  very  applicable,  for  the  Platte  river  is 
very  wide  and  shallow  to  a  certain  extent;  and  still, 
since  it  is  a  waterway  which  drains  over  one-half  of 
the  State,  at  times  it  is  mighty  deep  instead  of  shal- 
low. During  the  overland  travel  it  was  always 
dreaded  by  the  freighters,  owing  to  its  treacherous 
quicksand,  and  many  a  wagon  was  lost  while  trymg 
to  ford  it. 


280  FIRST   KETTLE   IN   NEBRASKA 

In  1854,  the  Kansas  and  Nebraska  Bill  was  in  ev- 
eryone's mouth,  as  the  saying  goes,  and  was  the  fore- 
runner of  the  Pro-  and  Anti-Slavery  party,  Know- 
nothing-ism,  etc.,  all  ending  in  war.  Kansas  was 
carved  out  of  Nebraska  in  this  bill. 

Now  on  this  fine  July  morning  the  Pawnees  and 
visiting  Indians  are  astir  early,  getting  ready  for  the 
day's  celebration.  The  Spaniards  are  taking  it  easy, 
as  they  are  to  be  entertained.  It  has  been  discovered 
that  the  horses  gave  most  satisfaction  to  the  natives, 
and  on  that  account  it  has  been  arranged  for  twenty- 
five  to  be  ridden  by  Indians  in  a  race,  and  the  general 
offering  as  a  reward  an  iron  kettle  which  he  concludes 
to  discard  in  order  to  lighten  the  baggage,  since  he  is 
beginning  to  make  calculations  for  a  flying  trip  home- 
ward; and  another  thing,  he  discovers  that  presents 
are  getting  scarce,  and  he  has  yet  two  of  the  prin- 
cipal cities  to  visit,  and  he  knows  for  practical  use 
this  stew  pan  will  be  quite  an  acquisition.  It  has 
been  suggested  to  the  chief  to  have  the  horse  race 
first,  in  the  cool  of  the  morning.  The  chief  had  re- 
quested Coronado  to  arrange  how  the  racing  shall  be 
conducted.  It  is  young  chief  Tatarrax  who  has  com- 
mand of  his  father's  fifty  warriors,  and  as  you  know, 
he  and  Ysopete  are  great  chums,  so  Ysopete  on  the 
road  has  secured  permission  of  Alonso  to  let  the 
young  Indian  ride  the  pack  mule  in  order  that  he 
may  acquire  the  art;  and  many  times  Alonso  has  in- 
vited the  young  fellow  to  take  a  ride  on  Babieca.  So 
he  is  the  best,  in  fact  the  only  rider,  among  the 
natives. 

Acting  upon  a  suggestion  run  across  in  an  old 


RUNNING  DOWN   A  DEER.  281 

work  treating  of  Indians,  wherein  it  is  stated  it  was 
common  for  them  to  run  down  a  deer,  averring  the 
method  being  to  follow  as  close  in  their  wake  as  pos- 
sible, but  taking  advantage  of  the  circling  of  the  ani- 
mal, which  saved  the  man  many  miles  of  travel,  for 
all  wild  game  have  their  home  and  will  not  run  away 
from  it,  those  who  have  hunted  wolves  on  the  prairie 
with  hounds  can  tell  you  about  ten  miles  is  a  good 
average,  although  it  has  been  known  for  a  wolf  to  run 
nearly  forty  miles  away  from  his  lair,  about  sun-up 
in  the  morning  there  were  let  loose  four  young  deer, 
each  having  a  collar  around  its  neck  with  a  private 
mark  put  thereon,  in  fact  the  commander  has  scratch- 
ed on  the  leather  *'His  Majesty,  the  King  of  Spain." 
The  arrangement  is  a  go-as-you-please  affair,  but  ow- 
ing to  the  endurance  it  took  there  were  not  many  who 
cared  to  undertake  it. 

It  has  been  before  suggested  that  Ysopete  was, 
like  his  white  tutors,  getting  to  be  quite  a  schemer, 
and  wishing  his  young  townsman  to  be  again  honored 
exercises  his  brain  in  the  interest  of  his  protege.  He 
has  got  the  young  fellow  to  agree  to  make  the  trial, 
and  Ysopete  has  arranged  with  an  acquaintance  of 
his,  whom  he  knows  to  be  a  man  for  the  task,  to  assist 
the  young  resident  of  the  city  of  the  Twenty-four  in 
capturing  the  fawn,  it  being  agreed  that  Ysopete  is 
to  remunerate  the  assistant  runner,  and  the  young 
fellow  is  to  have  the  prize  of  a  large  butcher  knife. 

And  now  the  plan  is  all  arranged,  which  is 
about  as  follows:  Ysopete  has  learned  that  one  of 
the  fawns  has  only  been  snared  about  two  days  back, 
and  ascertains  the  locality  where  captured;  he  reasons 


289  DEER  AKD   MAN   RACE. 

that  the  young  thing  would  run  for  its  old  pasture  and 
would  not  leave  it  very  far.  Of  course,  they  could  not 
foretell  which  direction  any  of  the  animals  would 
take,  so  a  code  of  signals  was  agreed  upon  between 
the  young  man  and  his  assistant,  Ysopete  furnishing 
the  brains.  One  signal  was,  that  no  matter  how  far 
away,  if  seen  with  their  two  arms  raised  over  their 
heads,  they  would  know  each  other,  it  being  under- 
stood that  just  as  soon  as  the  run  was  discovered, 
they  should  take  turn  about  so  as  to  keep  up  a  racing 
pace. 

Now  the  four  deer  are  free.  The  one  spotted  by 
the  two  runners,  who  we  are  to  follow,  took  a  contrary 
direction  to  the  other  three  and  seemed  to  know 
where  it  was  going;  the  others  ran  together  and  were 
followed  by  the  chasers,  but  our  two  men  who  will  be 
followed  made  straight  after  the  one.  Of  course,  the 
young  thing  went  like  the  wind,  but  our  brace  of  Indi- 
ans are  running  together,  keeping  their  eagle  eyes  on 
the  wild  thing.  Finally  it  reaches  the  locality  of  its  cap- 
ture, but  cannot  find  the  herd;  now  it  begins  to  circle, 
and  the  older  Indian  instructs  the  other  to  make  a 
cut-off  to  meet  the  bounding  deer:  so  off  goes  our 
young  fellow,  the  other  reducing  his  pace  to  a  walk, 
but  making  calculations  where  he  can  nearest  strike 
the  circle.  Now  the  animal  is  about  to  pass  at  least 
three  miles  away,  but  now  is  his  time  to  run,  so  he 
begins  a  swinging  trot  until  he  reaches  rising  ground, 
then  he  falls  prostrate  to  the  ground;  this  means  for 
the  other  to  stop  running,  and  finally  observing  the 
young  man  has  seen  the  signal,  then  off  he  goes;  but 
mind  you,  not  directly  in  a  line  tovrard  the  now  bewil- 


A  MA**  AND  DEER  FIGHT  283 

dered  creature,  but  making  allowance  for  the  circling. 
This  is  kept  up  for  several  hours;  all  the  time  the 
poor  thing  is  losing  courage  and  strength,  until  about 
one  hour  after  high  noon  our  two  men  get  together 
and  conclude  it  is  time  to  make  the  final  dash,  which 
is  done,  and  they  have  the  deer  at  bay.  The  next 
thing  is  to  kill  it,  for  it  is  no  easy  task  to  catch  a  two- 
thirds  matured  deer,  yet  more  a  strong,  vigorous  one, 
for  their  front  feet  strike  like  sharp-pointed  steel, 
^nd  so  powerful  are  they  that  if  a  man  does  not  use 
care  or  is  not  exceptionally  strong  he  will  surely  get 
the  worst  of  it.  So  it  is  arranged  that  one  shaU  pre- 
tend to  be  trying  to  catch  it  by  the  horns,  which  also 
are  bad  things  to  contend  with;  but  while  the  one  is 
getting  the  attention  in  front,  the  other  is  to  grab  the 
hind  legs  and  pull  them  off  the  ground;  the  plan  suc- 
ceeds, and  they  have  the  collar  or  trophy.  They  are 
about  eight  miles  from  home,  but  the  two  men  are 
fresh  and  game  as  if  only  just  started  out,  and  they 
must  hasten  so  as  to  be  first  and  thus  get  the  prize. 

While  they  are  running  toward  home,  a  few  lines 
will  be  devoted  to  a  known  incident  in  Jackson  county, 
Kansas,  twenty-five  years  ago.  There  was  about  four 
inches  of  snow  on  the  ground;  a  farmer  going  toward 
home  in  his  lumber  wagon  observed  a  deer  coming 
across  a  field  toward  him.  He  got  out  of  his  wagon, 
having  in  mind  he  might  succeed  in  getting  hold  of 
the  animal;  the  deer  jumped  one  fence  and  then 
crossed  the  road,  and  in  jumping  a  wide  ditch  failed 
to  light  on  the  opposite  bank,  which  being  slippery 
caused  it  to  slide  to  the  bottom  of  the  washout.  Our 
iciriner  then  jumped  on  the  deer,  and  the  struggle 


284      RAaNG  AND   THE  CEREMONIAL  DANCE. 

commenced;  but  after  a  good  deal  of  wallowing  over 
the  snow,  and  having  his  clothes  rift  like  ribbons,  he 
finally  succeeded  in  cutting  the  animal's  throat  with 
his  pocket  knife.  This  man  who  accomplished  the 
feat  was  no  ''green"  man,  but  a  sturdy,  bull  dog  of  a 
fellow,  otherwise  he  would  not  have  succeeded. 

You  may  be  sure  the  crowd  is  watching  the  deer 
runners  whenever  an  opportunity  is  offered,  so  when 
our  two  are  observed  approaching,  waving  the  coIlAr, 
there  goes  up  a  shout  rarely  heard  on  the  prairie  in 
those  days;  and  soon  our  two  men  arrive,  the  older 
man  giving  the  younger  one  the  credit  for  the  capture. 
While  the  deer  chasing  was  progressing,  the 
horse  racing  and  other  sports  are  going  on. 

To  spin  out  the  program,  it  is  arranged  to  have 
three  races,  with  eight  horses  in  two  and  nine  in  the 
third;  then  the  three  winners  are  to  see  which  gets 
the  pot.  It  has  been  agreed  that  the  Pawnee  chief 
should  select  the  twenty-five  riders,  and  of  course  he 
cannot  slight  young  Tatarrax,  and  racing  like,  he  gets 
a  winning  horse,  for  Ysopete  has  procured  the  assent 
of  his  young  master  to  let  his  young  chief  have  the 
fastest  horse  in  the  herd.  These  three  races  will  not 
be  described,  as  it  is  about  the  same  as  before;  but 
the  ceremonial  dance  would  like  to  be  given  in  full  as 
described  in  the  government  work.  It  requires  more 
space  than  such  a  story  as  this  would  justify,  but  our 
flying  expedition  were  regaled  with  a  display  which 
caused  many  of  the  party  who  were  members*of  se- 
cret orders  in  Spain  to  wonder.  Readers  may  doubt 
the  xruth  of  there  being  a  secret  order  in  Quivira  at 
the  date  of  our  narrative,  but  in  1720  to  1769,  the  great 


AN   INDIAN  SECRET  ORDER.  285 

chief  of  the  Ottawas  was  the  High  Priest  of  a  secret 
order,  and  to  bear  this  out  the  book  is  cited:  **To 
Pontiac  must  be  ascribed  the  highest  position  among 
the  leaders  of  tiie  Algonquin  race.  Born  the  son  of  a 
chief,  he  became  in  turn  the  chief  of  his  own  people, 
the  Ottawas,  whom  it  is  said  commanded  on  the  occa- 
sion of  Braddock's  defeat.  For  this  or  other  services 
in  behalf  of  the  French  he  had  received  marks  of  dis- 
tinguished consideration  from  Montcalm  himself.  By 
reason  of  his  natural  ability,  his  influence  was  felt  and 
respected  wherever  the  name  of  his  tribe  was  spoken, 
while  to  his  dignity  of  chief  he  added  the  sacred  char- 
acter of  high  priest  of  the  powerful  secret  order  of 
the  Mide. ' '  The  dance  of  the  secret  order  which  took 
place  in  the  year  1541  was  made  up  of  eight  divisions, 
each  division  doing  its  strut  as  required  in  battle. 
**Those  who  were  not  enrolled  in  some  one  of  the 
eight  orders  were  held  in  but  little  respect.*' 

The  first  degree  were  the  young  entered  appren- 
tices, like  the  Masons,  or  perhaps  pages  in  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  would  be  a  better  term,  comprising  the 
young  men.  The  second  is  passed,  but  the  third  or- 
der was  important.  They  were  the  **Club  Men." 
Their  dance  was  called  '^Hichaaqawee,"  and  were  all 
men  in  the  prime  of  life.  They  carried  notched  clubs; 
their  province  was  to  mimic  an  attack;  these  club 
men  dash  at  the  enemy,  and  although  they  hold  the 
most  dangerous  position,  yet  there  were  always  more 
applicants  than  could  be  accommodated,  and  the  work 
says  there  were  deaths  in  the  third  degree,  but  none 
ever  resigned.  Then  there  was  the  sixth  degree,  or 
**Dog  Men."    They  had  rattles,  which  no  doubt  an- 


286  HARD  PUSHED  FOR  PRESENTS. 

swered  for  the  drums,  fifes  and  bugles  as  now  used 
in  battle.  There  were  other  sports,  such  as  wrest- 
ling, jumping,  etc.,  enough  to  make  up  a  long  celebra- 
tion, but  the  day's  pleasure  must  be  ended.  The  of- 
ficers and  men  of  the  troop  are  getting  tired  of  exert- 
ing themselves  in  the  warm,  enervating  July  sun,  and 
because  there  has  ceased  to  be  any  fear  of  attack,  and 
no  likelihood  of  reward,  for  there  is  no  metal  of  any 
description  among  the  natives,  except  once  in  a  while 
a  trinket  is  seen  from  copper,  which  no  doubt  came 
from  the  lake  country,  but  they  must  not  appear  to 
neglect  the  Pawnee  chief,  as  he  might  take  offense. 

The  time  has  again  arrived  for  the  Europeans  to 
entertain  nature's  children,  so  the  party  has  racked 
their  brains  for  a  change  of  program;  but  the  first 
thing  done  is  to  march  in  a  body,  the  footmen  bring- 
ing up  the  rear,  the  whole  being  led  by  Father  Padilla, 
who  leads  on  foot,  carrying  a  large  cross  (he  always 
walked),  which  he  made  from  some  deer  leg  bones*. 
The  tropp  made  the  best  appearance  possible,  and 
drew  up53efore  the  chiefs  in  regular  military  style. 
The  priest  knelt  down  and  asked  a  blessing,  then  Cor- 
onado  advanced  toward  the  chief  and  presented  him 
with  some  articles,  it  being  hard  for  the  commander 
to  procure  appropriate  presents,  for  they  were  get- 
ting scarce,  so  he  concludes  to  begin  to  part  v/ith 
some  of  the  personal  equipment,  and  upon  making 
requisition  upon  all  his  men  he  has  found  many  arti- 
cles could  be  spared  without  injury  to  the  enterprise; 
some  have  a  ring,  others  an  extra  dagger,  others  flint 
and  steel;  then  there  are  clothes  that  are  not  needed 
because  of  the  extreme  heat,  so  the  chief  is  given  two 


EXPERT  LASSOING.  287 

rings,  which  are  really  valuable,  having  settings  in 
them!  These  are  placed  on  the  fingers  of  the  chief, 
then  a  cloak  with  a  red  lining,  and  several  other  im- 
portant men  are  given  clothing,  all  of  which  pleases 
the  Indians,  but  a  dagger  is  what  gives  the  Pawnee 
the  greatest  satisfaction.  In  turn  the  Spaniards  are 
presented  with  several  beautiful  robes,  some  colored 
feathers,  as  well  as  a  gaudy  head-gear;  this  the  chief 
insists  putting  on  the  head  of  Coronado,  standing 
back  to  admire  the  showy  thing.  Of  course,  the  aris- 
tocratic soldier  felt  as  though  he  was  a  popinjay,  and 
got  an  excuse  as  soon  as  possible  to  remove  the  gew- 
gaw. 

For  the  amusement  of  the  natives,  about  the 
same  things  were  gone  through  as  at  Manhattan,  but 
just  a  little  change  to  make  up  for  the  tournament 
that  was  not  given.  The  Spaniards  were  among  the 
finest  horsemen  in  the  world  at  that  time,  as  now  their 
descendants  are,  for  the  Mexican  at  present  is  the 
peer,  if  not  excelling  any  other  people,  not  excepting 
the  Arabs.  The  reason  for  the  Spaniards  being  such 
proficient  horsemen  was  owing  to  the  Moors  and 
Arabs  having  control  of  affairs  of  Hispaniola  from  711 
tiU  the  fall  of  Grenada  in  1492,  or  over  700  years. 

One  thing  done  to  make  up  the  day's  prograni 
was  for  ten  horsemen,  all  experts  with  the  rope,  to 
enter  a  large  ring  formed  by  the  spectators,  and  each 
try  to  lasso  the  other,  it  being  understood  that  care 
should  be  taken  to  avoid  accidents.  Each  man  was  on 
the  alert,  but  owing  to  aU  of  the  horses  having  been 
unbroke,  except  Alonso's,  who  was  one  of  the  ten, 
when  the  expedition  started,  our  hero  had  such  an 


233  A  TRICK  IN   HORSEMANSHIP. 

advantage  thab  theofcher  nine  were  not  ''in  the  game/' 
for  Alonso  with  his  well-trained  horse  could  do  about 
as  he  liked;  and  being  of  a  kindly  and  jovial  mould  he 
caused  considerable  laughter,  in  which  the  contest- 
ants themselves  joined,  for  they  plainly  saw  the  su- 
periority of  the  young  lieutenant.  A  certain  trick 
was  resorted  to  by  Alonso  as  a  ruse  to  outwit  the 
others,  and  Babieca  had  been  drilled  and  drilled  in 
the  following  trick  more  than  any  other,  for  the 
young  knight  expected  to  be  obliged  to  utilize  it  in 
battle  some  time:  He  would  pretend  to  retreat  from 
an  enemy,  but  at  the  right  moment  a  word  and  a  grip 
of  the  thighs  and  a  motion  of  the  body,  the  horse 
would  swerve  aside  so  suddently  as  to  surprise  the 
pursuer,  and  Alonso  would  bring  his  horse  so  as  to 
be  really  chasing  the  chaser.  By  this  method  Alonso 
could  invariably  inflict  punishment  without  much  dan- 
ger to  himself,  and  further,  his  horse  was  so  trained 
that  just  as  soon  as  the  purpose  of  his  master  was  ac- 
complished he  would  proceed  on  the  same  course 
originally  being  taken  before  the  swerve.  Thus,  with 
this  movement  several  of  the  men  were  fooled,  getting 
the  noose  over  their  body  before  they  knew  it.  This 
rope-throwing  is  no  modern  invention,  for  history 
tells  that  in  India  a  sect  known  as  "thugs,"  or  "peo- 
ple who  use  the  noose,"  has  flourished  from  time  im- 
memorial, and  should  a  devotee  succeed  in  throwing 
a  noose  over  the  head  of  a  horseman  and  in  strangling 
his  victim,  he  was  claimed  as  a  hero;  but  the  usual 
method  was  for  three  to  tackle  a  mounted  man. 

Another  sport  of  the  day  was  the  running  on  a 
last  gaUop,  the  rider  reaching  down  while  going  on  a 


THE  PAWNEE  mCIANS.  28d  ^ 

dead  run  and  picking  up  some  article;  the  moa^t  im- 
portant thing  is  to  be  sure  and  have  the  cinches  tight, 
for  otherwise  when  the  reach  is  made  for  the  object, 
the  saddle  may  turn  and  then  the  best  rider  in  the 
world  would  lose  his  balance. 

But  let  us  desist  from  further  recital  along  the 
line  of  sports,  and  conclude  this  chapter  with  a  brief 
account  of  the  Pawnees:  Is  it  not  a  remarkable  thing 
that  these  people  speak  a  different  language  from  any 
other  known  tribe?  Does  it  not  cause  the  query: 
Where  did  they  come  from?  Were  they  or  the  Kan- 
sas or  Osages  first  to  occupy  Quivira?  None  of  the 
interrogatories  can  be  answered.  The  first  mention 
of  the  Pawnees  was  by  Coronado;  then  after  132  years 
Pather  Marquette  tells  of  them,  but  very  little  of 
their  history  is  known.  Quoting  from  the  work  much 
used  in  the  preparation  of  this  book,  the  14th  Annual 
Eeport  of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology,  the  following  will 
demonstrate  the  fact  that  they  took  part  in  things: 
**In  the  early  part  of  1800,  during  the  constant  wars 
of  the  Indians,  several  of  the  Wisconsin  tribes  were 
in  the  habit  of  making  captives  of  the  Pawnees, 
Osages  and  Missouris,  and  these  were  consigned  to 
servitude.  The  Menomonees  had  Pawnee  slaves.  Al- 
though called  Pawnees,  there  were  to  my  knowledge 
three  Osages,  two  Missouris,  who  were  slaves  but 
called  Pawnees. '*  It  should  also  be  mentioned  that 
Mas-caw,  a  Pawnee,  was  not  treated  or  regarded  as  a 
slave,  for  he  married  a  chief's  daughter.  In  the  18th 
century  in  Canada,  the  term  *'Pani"  meant  slave,  and 
was  like  the  use  of  the  word  **nigger."  As  you  may 
know,  ''Pani"  means  Pawnee.     There  is  no  doubt  but 


200  PAWNEE  SLAVES. 

that  the  Sioux  were  the  ones  who  captured  them,  as 
from  all  accounts  these  two  tribes  were  eternally  at 
war;  in  fact  it  appears  that  the  hand  of  every  tribe 
was  raised  aj?ainst  them,  but  they  held  their  own  as 
long,  if  not  longer  than  any  other  tribe.  In  1719  a 
French  lieutenant  named  Dutione  was  among  this 
l^eople  and  says:  *'I  was  well  received  among  the 
Osa^es.  Having  explained  my  intention  of  going  to 
the  Paneoussas  (Pawnees),  they  answered  me  well  in 
everything  that  regarded  themselves,  but  opposed 
my  going  among  the  Panis;  so  I  proposed  that  they 
let  me  take  three  guns  for  myself  and  interpreter,  to 
which  they  consented.  In  four  days  I  was  among 
the  Panis,  where  I  was  badly  received,  owing  to  the 
fact  that  the  Osages  had  made  them  believe  that  our 
intention  was  to  entrap  them  and  make  them  slaves. 
On  that  account  they  twice  raised  the  tomahawk 
above  me,  but  when  they  learned  the  falsehoods  of 
the  Osages,  and  saw  the  bravery  which  I  showed 
them  when  they  threatened  me,  brutal  as  these  men 
are,  they  consented  to  make  an  alliance,  and  treated 
me  very  well.  I  traded  them  my  three  guns,  some 
powder,  pick  axes  and  a  few  knives  for  two  horses 
and  a  mule,  marked  with  a  Spanish  brand.  I  pro- 
posed to  them  to  let  me  pass  through  to  the  Padou- 
cahs.  To  this  they  were  much  opposed,  as  they  are 
deadly  enemies . ' ' 

Government  Surveyor  McCoy  tells  some  of  his 
experiences  with  the  early  Indians  of  Kansas.  He 
was  running  lines  in  1829.  The  paper  from  which 
the  following  is  copied  is  in  the  archives  of  the  Kan- 
sas State  Historical  Society  at  Topeka:     "On  our  wav 


INDIANS  HORSE  STEALING.  291 

to  Cantonment,  Leavenworth,  ta  procure  our  escort 
and  supplies,  we  passed  the  Shawnee  council-house, 
which  was  a  few  miles  out  from  the  Missouri  State 
line,  south  of  the  Kansas  river.  There  we  found  a 
company  of  thirty-five  Kaw  Indians  engaged  in  a 
council  with  the  Shawnees.  The  latter  invited  my 
father  to  attend  the  council.  This  he  vras  glad  to  do, 
as  our  work  would  lead  us  near  the  Kaw  villages,  and 
it  was  necessary  that  my  father  should  give  some  ex- 
planation of  his  design  in  surveying-  in  order  to  avoid 
exciting  their  jealousy  and  exposing  us  to  danger. 
There  was  ground  for  precautionary  measures.  The 
Kaws  and  Pawnees  were  hereditary  enemie  3,  and  at 
this  time  were  at  war,  or  more  correctly  speaking,  in 
their  never-ending  contest  to  ascertain  which  could 
steal  the  most  horses  and  scalps  from  the  other.  A 
party  of  Kaws  had  recently  stolen  nine  horses  from 
the  Pawnees,  and  two  other  parties  were  at  this  very 
time  out  on  like  expeditions.  As  much  of  our  work 
lay  between  these  two  tribes,  we  were  liable  to  find 
ourselves  between  two  fires  as  it  were.  We  had  rea- 
son to  fear  that  if  the  Kaws  should  not  succeed 
to  their  satisfaction,  in  their  descent  upon  the  Paw- 
nees, they  might  endeavor  to  make  up  for  their  lack 
of  plunder  from  our  party;  and  if  they  should  succeed 
in  tiieir  incursion  upon  the  Pawnees,  the  latter  might 
follow  them,  and  be  led  on  to  us  with  a  like  disposi- 
tion to  make  up  for  their  losses.  In  view  of  our  pos- 
sible danger  from  the  Pawnees,  at  the  request  of  my 
father,  Major  John  Dougherty,  their  agent,  had  the 
goodness  to  send  an  express  to  invite  their  chiefs  in- 
te  a  council  at  Port  Leavenworth.   This  precaution 


2|92  RANGE  OP  THE   P>WNEES. 

was  the  Ihore  necessary,  as  our  surveying  expedition 
would  take  us  far  out  upon  that  portion  of  the  buffalo 
plains  frequented  by  the  Pawnees  in  their  huntinj? 
excursions.  Indeed,  we  were  to  pass  through  a  i)or- 
tion  of  the  Republican  valley  not  very  far  from  where 
the  Pawnees  long  had  a  permanent  village,  the  seat  of 
the  Pawnee  republic,  and  which  they  had  but  a  few 
years  previous  to  the  time  of  which  I  am  speaking 
abandoned,  removing  to  the  Platte  valley  in  Nebras- 
ka. Major  Dougherty  appointed  a  council  with  the 
Pawnee  chiefs,  to  be  held  at  Fort  Leavenworth  on  the 
24th  of  September,  1830. 

"The  Pawnees  ranged  west  of  the  Big  Blue  to 
what  is  now  Norton  county,  south  along  the  Republi- 
can, and  north  to  and  beyond  the  Platte.  Their  vil- 
lages were  on  the  Platte  and  Loup  fork.  Their  war 
parties  took  wide  range.  They  were  at  war  with  all 
the  wild  tribes  in  the  plains:  the  Comanches  and 
Kiowas  on  the  south;  the  Arapahoes,  Cheyennes  and 
Sioux  on  the  west  and  northwest.  Though  not  num- 
bering near  so  many  as  their  opponents,  except  the 
Arapahoes,  they  defended  themselves  so  successfully 
that  the  enemy  rarely  got  away  without  leaving  some 
scalps.  They  were  also  the  worst  Indians  the  whites 
had  to  contend  with  on  the  northern  overland  trail. 
Though  they  would  not  attack  weU-armed  parties, 
they  were  dangerous  stock  thieves,  and  the  guards 
always  doubled  when  the  Big  Blue  was  crossed.  Af- 
ter having  passed  the  Pawnees  some  forty  miles  west 
of  Fort  Kearney;  J  traveling  was  quite  safe.  Though 
they  were  numerous  and  powerful,  the  overland  emi- 
gration with  their  immense  flocks  and  herds  were  not 


PAWNEE  CRUELTY.  293 

molested  by  the  Sioux  and  CJheyennes  for  the  five 
handred  miles  through  their  country  from  tJie  vears 
'49  to  ^54.  ,, 

'*During  the  summer  of  1850  and  the  year  follow- 
ing, immigration  to  California  and  Oregon  was  im- 
mense. In  1850  the  cholera  swept  away  many  men, 
women  and  children,  and  hundreds  of  bodies  were 
torn  from  their  shallow  graves  by  the  wolves.  The 
Pawnees  were  untiring  in  their  depredations,  and  a 
few  people  were  killed.  Dragoons  patroled  the  road 
from  thirty  miles  west  of  Fort  Kearney  to  one  hun- 
dred miles  east,  and  rendered  every  assistance  possi- 
ble, at  one  time  following  a  large  war  party  through 
what  is  now  Washington,  Republic,  Jewell,  Smith, 
Phillips  and  Norton  counties.  The  action  of  Major 
Chilton  in  command  of  his  troop  and  of  Fort  Kearney 
in  '49  and  '50  was  so  vigorous  that  the  Pawnees  cravft 
very  little  trouble  afterwards." 

Missionary  Dunbar,  who  for  many  years  was 
with  the  Pawnees,  is  the  authority  for  the  following 
awful  episode:  -  •.  - ;    ..  .  j^  J 

"In  1837  it  was  about  seed  time,  and  tliey  nad 
tiius  sought  to  obtain  a  plentiful  harvest.  (I  shall 
here  give  the  substance  of  the  most  detailed  account 
of  the  cruel  torture  of  a  young  Sioux  maiden.)  The 
young  girl  v^ho  had  been  captured  v^as  only  aged  fif- 
teen; after  having  been  well  treated  and  fed  for  six 
months,  under  pretense  that  a  feast  would  be  pre- 
pared for  her  at  the  opening  of  the  summer  season, 
she  felt  rejoiced  when  she  saw  the  last  days  of  winter 
roll  by.  The  day  fixed  upon  for  the  feast  having 
dawned,  she  passed  through  all  the  preparatory  cere- 


3m  a  SIOUX   MAIDEN  SACRIFICED. 

monies,  and  was  then  arrayed  in  her  finest  attire;  af- 
ter wKich  she  was  placed  in  a  circle  of  warriors,  who 
seemed  to  escort  her  for  the  purpose  of  showing  her 
deference.  Besides  their  wonted  arms,  each  one  of 
these  warriors  had  two  pieces  of  wood  which  he  had 
received  at  the  hands  of  the  maiden.  The  latter  had 
on  the  previous  day  carried  three  posts,  which  she 
had  he]p3d  to  fell  in  the  neighboring  forest;  but  sup- 
posing that  she  was  walking  to  a  triumph,  and  her 
mind  being  filled  with  the  most  pleasing  idea,  the  vic- 
tim advanced  toward  the  place  of  her  sacrifice  with 
those  mingled  feelings  of  joy  and  timidity  which,  un- 
der similar  circumstances,  would  naturally  be  excited 
in  the  bosom  of  a  girl  of  her  age. 

**Their  march  was  rather  long,  the  silence  was  in- 
terrupted only  by  religious  songs  and  invocations  to 
their  Master  of  Life,  so  that  whatever  effected  the 
senses  tended  to  keep  up  the  deceitful  delusion, 
which  began  to  vanish  and  her  eyes  were  opened  to 
the  fate  that  awaited  her.  How  great  must  have  been 
her  surprise  when  she  found  it  was  no  longer  pos- 
sible  to  doubt  of  their  intentions?  Who  could  de- 
scribe her  poignant  anguish?  She  burst  into  tears; 
she  raised  loud  cries  to  heaven — she  begged,  en- 
treated, conjured  her  executioners  to  have  pity  on  her 
youth,  her  innocence,  her  parents,  but  all  in  vain. 
Neither  tears,  nor  cries,  nor  the  promises  of  a  trader 
who  happened  to  be  present,  softened  the  hearts  of 
the  monsters.  She  was  tied  with  ropes  to  the  trunk 
and  branches  of  two  trees,  and  the  most  sensitive 
parts  of  her  body  were  burned  with  torches  made  of 
the  wood  which  she  had  with  her  own  hands  distrib- 


SEED  SPRINKLED   WITH  BLOOD.  295 

utvi  to  the  warriors.  When  her  suffering  lasted 
lon^'  enough  to  weary  the  fanatical  fury  of  her  fero- 
cious tormentors,  the  great  chief  shot  an  arrow  into 
her  heart,  and  in  an  instant  this  arrow  was  followed 
by  a  thousand  others,  which  after  having  been  vio- 
lently turned  and  twisted  in  the  wounds,  wer©  torn 
from  them  in  such  a  manner  that  her  whole  body  pre* 
sented  but  one  shapeless  mass  of  mangled  flesh,  from 
which  the  blood  streamed  on  all  sides.  When  the 
blood  had  ceased  to  flow,  the  greater  sacrificator  ap- 
proached the  expiring  victim,  and  to  crown  so  many 
atrocious  acts  tore  out  her  heart  with  his  own  hands, 
and  after  uttermg  the  most  frightful  imprecations 
against  the  Sioux  nation,  devoured  the  bleeding  flesl^ 
amid  the  acclamations  of  his  whole  tribe.  The  man- 
gled remains  were  then  left  to  be  preyed  upon  by 
wild  beasts,  and  when  the  blood  had  been  sprinkled' 
on  the  seed,  to  render  it  fertile,  all  repaired  to  their 
cabins,  cheered  with  the  houe  of  obtaining  a  copious 
harvest. 

"As  soon  as  the  report  of  the  sacrifice  reached 
the  Sioux,  they  burned  with  a  desire  to  avenge  their 
honor,  and  swore  to  a  man  that  they  would  not  rest 
satisfied  till  they  should  have  killed  as  many  Pawnees 
as  the  young  victim  had  bones  in  her  fingers  and 
joints  of  her  body.  More  than  a  hundred  Pawnees 
have  at  length  fallen  beneath  their  tomahawks.'^. 


NINETEENTH. 

The  Missouri  river  is  mighty  indeed^ 
But  it's  treacherous  and  will  deceive; 
It  robs  a  man  of  his  land  and  fee, 
Wrenches  from  its  roots  the  largest  treft- 

Today  a  man  may  be  rich, 
Tomorrow  his  land  be  a  ditch; 
His  ripariatn  rights  be  switched 
Down  the  stream  others  to  enrich. 

CORONADO  was  only  a  frail  man,  and  as 
such  must  be  excused  from  becoming 
impatient  to  get  back  to  New  Spain;  and 
is  there  any  wonder  when  you  know  that 
he  had  only  a  year  before  married  Beatrice 
de  Estranda,  '*a  cousin  by  blood"  (if  gossip  was  true) 
of  Emperor  Charles  V.?  Her  father,  Alonso  de  As- 
trada,  had  been  Royal  Treasurer  of  New  Spain.  Prom 
his  mother-in-law,  Coronado  received  as  a  marriage 
gift  a  considerable  estate,  **The  Half  of  Tlapa,"  which 
was  cohfirmed  ta  him  by  a  royal  grant.  Cortes  com- 
plained that  the  income  from  this  estate  was  worth 
more  than  3,000  ducados  (about  $3,000),  and  that  it 
had  been  unduly  and  inconsiderately  alienated  from 
the  crown.    Coronado  obtained  also  the  estate  of  one 


^HUEE  TOWNS  CALUfiD  CORONADO.  %7 

Juan  de  Burgas,  apparently  one  of  those  who  forteitedl 
their  land  because  he  persisted  in  the  unmariried 
state.  This  likewise  received  the  royal  approval.  It 
is  stated  that  the  number  of  Indians  held  to  service  on 
these  estates  was  very  excessive.  Then  do  you  blame 
the  man  for  being  anxious  to  return  to  his  beautiful 
young  wife?  So  everything  is  pushed  to  get  started 
to  the  qity  of  the  Twenty-four,  a  distance  of  about 
sixty-five  miles,  and  about  noon  the  third  day  they 
are  off. 

Now  we  are  under  the  head  of  Coronado,  it  is 
weU  to  ask,  Will  his  name  go  down  to  posterity?  There 
is  not  a  county  in  Quivira  named  after  him,  and  the 
gazeteers  of  Kansas  give  no  city,  town  or  village,  and 
there  are  only  three  towns  given  in  the  United  States 
directory:  Coronado,  SanDiego  county,  California, 
about  2,000  inhabitants;  a  village  in  Volusta  county, 
Florida,  and  a  railroad  town  in  Graham  county,  Ari- 
zona. While  looking  through  "C,"  it  was  observed 
that  the  number  of  towns  named  after  the  discoverer 
of  America  were  102. 

General  J.  H.  Simpson,  U.  S.  A.,  who  is  the  au- 
thority for  conducting  the  party  to  the  Pawnees 
in  Nebraska,  also  states  that  they  must  have  gone 
through  Brown  and  Doniphan  counties,  so  on  tho 
strength  of  such  an  authority  our  party  is  now  mean- 
dering down  the  Nemaha  river  in  Nebraska,  keeping 
southeast  along  the  stream  for  about  thirty  miles 
until  they  reached  the  mouth  of  Walnut  creek^  a  few 
miles  east  of  where  Palls  City  is  built,  tlience  up  Vfai- 
nut  creek  until  near  Hiawatha,  where  they  left  tlie 
creek  and  crossed  the  divide  to  Wolf  river.    Eero 


298  UNSURPASSED  BROWN  COUNTY. 

they  had  a  fine  stretch  of  valley  to  traverse  for  aboutj 
eight  miles  until  they  reached  Doniphan  county. 

But  before  leaving  Brown,  may  not  a  word  be 
said  about  that  county?  John  Brown's  body  will 
inarch  on  forever,  and  his  name  will  be  perpetuated 
by  the  best  county  in  Kansas;  but  it  is  a  shame  to 
dispel  the  happy  illusion  that  this  county  is  named 
after  the  man  ** whose  body  lies  mouldering  in  the 
grave,*'  for  it  is  not.  By  rights  the  county  should 
liave  an  e  at  the  end,  after  A.  G.  Browne.  Until  1857, 
the  Iowa  Indians  owned  a  strip  of  land  two  by  ten 
miles  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  county,  but  the 
whites  were  not  content  until  they  had  the  Govern- 
ment put  same  up  for  sale.  This  county  is  a  body  of 
land  twenty-four  by  twenty-four  miles  square,  and 
there  is  no  real  estate  boomer  interested;  but  now, 
as  many  times  before,  the  bold  assertion  is  made  that 
It  is  the  finest  all-round  576  square  miles  of  agricul- 
tural land  in  the  world;  and  further  than  that,  its 
farm  houses,  barns,  granaries,  grades  of  horses,  hogs 
and  cattle  will  hold  its  own  with  any  people;  but 
more  important  than  anything  else,  its  farmers  and 
their  wives  are  the  most  up-to-date  people,  and  few  if 
any  can  surpass.  This  may  be  considered  strong, 
but  it  is  well  weighed,  having  been  so  asserted  viva 
voce  many  times. 

Now  fancy  yourself  at  about  Severance,  on  Wolf 
river  in  Doniphan  county,  where  this  stream  is  left, 
bn^  it  is  only  a  few  miles  across  the  prairie  to  Inde- 
pendence creek,  and  now  down  the  creek  at  the  mouth 
of  which  the  '*Great  Citv  of  the  Twenty-four*'  is  ait- 
uated 


EARLY   RIVER  NAVIGATION.  M9 

'  Juftt  one  little  incident  of  this  county:  In  1837 
an  Indian  mission  was  bnilt  near  Highland.  This 
mission  grew  until  a  magnificent  structure  was  erect- 
ed 87x170  feet,  three  stories  and  basement.  But  here 
is  what  is  desired  to  record:  The  lumber  to  build 
the  mission  came  from  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  and 
made  an  exact  steamer  load.  Starting  from  Pitts- 
burgh, it  came  down  the  Ohio  and  up  the  Mississippi 
to  Alton,  and  thence  up  the  Missouri  to  the  river  bank 
opposite  the  mission,  where  it  was  discharged.  This 
county  originally  was  occupied  by  the  Indians  as  a 
reservation,  and  in  1842  at  this  mission  an  Indian 
grammar  for  the  loway,  Otoe  and  Missouri  Indians 
was  printed,  the  work  containing  152  pages. 

Is  it  not  marvelously  strange  that  in  1837  a  boat- 
load of  building  material  was  transported  so  long  a 
distance,  and  now  there  is  nothing  of  the  kind!  The 
query  naturally  arises.  Why  not?  Just  because  the 
railroads  of  our  country  have  throttled  every  enter- 
prise which  attempted  to  use  our  waterways  in  com- 
petition: for  such  natural  highways  can  be  used  for 
heavy  freight  at  one-half  the  cost  that  the  iron  roads 
charge.  Take  a  look  at  the  map  and  convince  your- 
self what  a  trip  it  was.  It  cannot  be  conceived  unless 
the  route  is  traced  from  Pittsburgh  down  the  Ohio 
river  to  its  mouth,  where  it  empties  into  the  Missis- 
sippi at  Cairo  about  1,200  miles;  then  up  the  Missis- 
sippi to  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  which  is  about 
twenty  miles  north  of  St.  Louis,  is  another  200  miles: 
then  up  the  Missouri  to  Highland,  Doniphan  county, 
Kansas,  is  another  700,  or  a  total  of  about  2,000  miles, 
traversing  the  states  of  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Illinois,  Missouri  and  Kansas. 


300  THE  FIRST   '"KANSAS  aTY. 

While  meandering  along  Independence  creek  in 
Atchison  county,  Kansas,  let  us  review  authoritative 
and  reliable  history.  On  July  4th,  1803,  the  Lewis 
and  Clark  expedition  moored  their  three  boats  at  the 
mouth  of  Independence  creek  and  celebrated.  Hence 
its  name,  and  here  is  what  the  party  records:  *'They 
(Kansas)  once  lived  twenty-four  leagues  higher  up 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  river,  and  were  then 
more  numerous,  but  they  have  been  reduced  and  ban- 
ished by  the  Sacs,  Fox  and  lowas,  who  being  better 
supplied  with  arms  had  an  advantage  over  the  Kansas, 
though  the  latter  are  not  less  fierce  or  unlike  them- 
selves." 

The  daily  records  of  the  Lewis  and  Clark  expedi- 
tion written  105  years  ago  say  that  twenty-four 
leagues  up  the  Missouri  from  the  mouth  of  the  Kan- 
sas river,  or  where  Kansas  City  is  now  located, 
there  was  formerly  a  large  Kansas  Indian  village. 
This  would  bring  it  near  Atchison;  and  in  fact,  it  is 
located  on  Independence  creek,  which  is  about  three 
miles  north  of  Atchison.  Aa  early  as  1724,  the  French- 
man, M.  De  Bourgmont,  visited  the  "Canacas"'  Indians 
near  Atchison,  and  not  only  that,  but  history  has  it  that 
he  went  from  there  to  the  Padouca  Indians,  who  lived 
in  the  western  part  of  Kansas.  Wiien  this  French- 
man traveled  at  that  time  he  had  a  little  army  of  300 
warriors,  composed  of  many  chiefs  of  the  Missouri, 
Kansas  and  Osage  tribes;  also  300  dogs  hauling 
baggage,  as  well  as  numerous  women  and  chil- 
dren. 

Again,  the  map  drawn  by  Du  Pratez  in  1757  has 
the  spot  marked  **Canzes  Great  Village,"  so  there  is 


ATCHISON  CX)UNTY  HISTORY.  301 

no  doubt  of   a  large  town   or   village   being  there - 
located.    Now  the  question  comes  up,  When  did  the 
Kansas  Indians  abandon  this  town,  and  toi   wha^ 
reason?  ,  '\ 

Recollect  that  the  Iowa  and  Sacs  and  Fox  Indians 
were  Sioux,  and  by  reason  of  their  living  nearer  the 
white  settlements  procured  better  fire-arms  than  the 
Kansas  or  Osages  could,  and  they  from  time 
immemorial  had  been  at  war  with  the  Kansas  and 
Osage  tribes. 

^  The  history  of  Atchison  county  naving  been  ex- 
amined to  procure  pointers  of  interest  in  regard  to 
Indian  history,  but  finding  nothing  of  importance 
along  that  line,  here  is  an  incident  which  makes  good 
reading  just  fifty  years  after  it  has  happened.  The 
history  of  Atchison  county  asserts  the  first  settler  to 
have  been  a  Frenchman  named  Pensinau,  who  in  1837 
married  a  Kickapoo  squaw;  and  in  1854  the  first  colo- 
ny of  immigrants  settled  near  Oak  Mills  about  twelve 
miles  south  of  Atchison.  The  Rev.  Pardee  Butler 
settled  about  twelve  miles  west  of  Atchison,  and  it 
was  in  1855  and  1856  that  the  following  took  place: 
At  that  date,  Atchison  was  controlled  by  men  who 
were  very  bitterly  opposed  to  the  abolition  of  slavery, 
and  it  was  so  hot  that  the  average  man  did  not  dare  to 
say  he  was  an  Abolitionist;  but  the  Rev.  Butler 
preached  and  talked  against  it,  and  one  day  in  1855, 
when  in  Atchison,  a  party  of  thirty  or  forty  men 
painted  an  '*R''  on  Butler's  face  with  black  paint; 
then  the  men  took  three  Cottonwood  saw  logs  and 
nailed  them  together  with  plank,  put  the  reverend 
gentleman  thereon  and  towed  the  raft  into  the  middle 


302  REV.    PARDEE  BUTLER 

of  the  Missouri  river  and  set  him  adrift.  There  was 
a  flagstaff  on  the  raft  with  a  banner  which  had  written 
on  it:  **Eastern  Aid  Express;"  **Tlie  Rev.  Pardee 
Butler  Again  for  the  Underground  Railroad:'*  "The 
way  they  are  served  in  Kansas;'*  **For  Boston;"  **Car- 
go  Insured,  Unavoidable  Danger  of  the  Missourians 
and  the  Missouri  River  Excepted;"  **Let  future  emis- 
saries from  the  North  beware;"  **Our  hemp  crop  is 
sufficient  to  reward  all  such  scoundrels."  The  raft 
landed  about  six  miles  down  the  river. 

It  is  generally  understood  that  Mr.  Butler  was 
tarred  and  feathered  before  being  put  on  the  raft; 
but  it  was  the  following  year.  On  April  30th,  1856, 
Mr.  Butler  had  driven  from  his  farm,  and  upon  ar- 
riving in  Atchison  a  lot  of  men  gathered  around, 
stripped  him,  tarred  him  all  over,  and  for  lack  of 
feathers  used  cotton  wool;  then  he  was  placed  in  his 
vehicle  and  ordered  to  leave  town.  It  hardly  seems 
possible  that  fifty  years  ago  men  should  have  permit- 
ted themselves  to  get  so  worked  up  over  a  question 
upon  which  men  differed.  And  to  think  that  fifty 
years  ago  there  was  not  a  railroad  or  telegraph  wire 
in  Kansas,  and  now — well,  you  must  see  to  under- 
stand! 

In  closing  this  (Chapter,  and  being  so  near  the  city 
of  Atchison,  it  seems  meet  to  quote  from  Prank  A. 
Root's  **The  Overland  Stage:"  "In  the  early  '60s  he 
saw  a  yoke  of  buffalo  in  Atchison;  they  were  driven 
by  a  ranchman  from  the  Republican  Valley.  They 
were  domesticated  and  very  tame  and  worked  weU." 
This  may  seem  like  a  fish  story,  but  Mr.  Root  is  a  re- 
liable gentleman;  and  whyBhould  they  not  be  broke? 


WORK  BUFFALO.  303 

The  wonder  is  that  the  Indians  did  not  hitch  np  some 
calves  and  learn  them  to  work.  The  buffalos  of  the 
Philippine  Islands  are  the  principal  beasts  of  burden, 
and  are  very  handy  for  draught  and  agricultural 
purposes.  The  zebra  can  be  worked,  and  they  are 
being;  and  not  only  that,  it  is  found  that  they  wiU 
cross  and  make  very  hardy  and  swift  domesticated 
animals.  But  of  all  the  things,  if  ostriches  can  be 
harnessed  up  and  made  to  draw  a  vehicle,  why  not 
the  buffalo?  * 'Buffalo  Jones"  of  Kansas  is  now  dem- 
onstrating what  can  be  accomplished  with  the  nearly 
extinct  bison,  which  are  being  crossed  with  good, 
dear  old  common  cows. 


i  TWENTIETH. 

And  now  the  faithful  Indiwi  «niAe 
Has  arrived  where  his  friends  reside; 
In  parting  with  Alonso  he  did  conf  de 
His  adoration,  gratitude  and  pride. 

YOU  MAY  be  sure  that  the  inhabitants  of 
the  City  of  the  Twenty-four  had  looked 
forward  to  the  coining  of  the  Spaniards 
as  does  a  boy  to  the  circus  train,  and 
there  was  no  peace  or  rest  for  our  company,  for  long 
before  reaching  the  town  they  were  met  by  a  large 
concourse  of  natives,  who  followed  alongside  the  cav- 
alcade. Nearly  all  those  who  met  Coronado  were 
Kansans;  of  course  there  were  some  Missouris,  as  weU 
as  quite  a  number  of  Osages,  who  could  not  resist  the 
temptation  to  see  the  marvelous  sight,  not  caring  to 
take  the  chances  of  missing  the  flying  animals;  the 
God-like  men  with  their  arrows  of  thunder  and  light- 
ning, and  clothes  which  shone  so  they  could  not  be 
looked  upon;  and  if  a  poor  ignorant  soul  of  an  Indian 
did  get  close  enough  to  the  shiniiig  armor  that  an  In- 
dian would  be  seen  watching  him  (himself,  of  course), 
it  worked  upon  the  imagination  of  the  simple  fellow, 
believing  there  was  a  spirit  watching  him.  From 
what  the  explorers  wrote,  there  is  no  doubt  but  that 
the  city  was  more  permanent  than  the  average  Indian 
village,  so  our  soldiers  were  quartered  in  quite  com- 


THE  KA?iSA(B  INDIANS.        '  SOS 

modious  round  buildingrs  thatched  with  straw  or 
reeds,  which  made  comfortable  dwellixigs.  It  is  re- 
corded that  the  people  of  thi«  part  of  Quivira  did 
more  farming  (and  that  ifl  not  saying  much)  than  any 
others  we  have  met;  that  is,  they  raised  more  patches 
of  corn,  pumpkins,  beans  and  ix)tatoes  than  the  tribes 
farther  west.  Although  the  buffalo  came  near 
there,  yet  they  were  not  numerous  in  that  locality. 
In  describing  these  people,  you  are  given  the  lan- 
guage of  the  various  authors  as  found  in  th<^  eldest 
books  come-at-able: 

**The  people  here  are  large.  i  had  several  In- 
dians measured,  and  found  they  were  ten  palms  in 
height  (over  6  1-2  feet);  the  women  are  well  propor- 
tioned, and  their  features  are  more  like  Moorish  wo- 
men than  Indians." 

Coronado,  in  a  letter  to  the  King  of  Spain,  1541, 
writes:  **The  Kanza  Indians,  with  regard  to  the  quali- 
ties which  distinguish  men  from  the  brutes,  are  far 
from  being  deficient." 

Another  writer  says:  **To  bodily  strength  and 
courage  they  unite  a  shrewdness  and  address  super- 
ior to  other  savages,  and  in  their  wars  or  chases,  they 
make  a  dexterous  use  of  fire-arms,  which  gives  them 
a  decided  advantage  over  their  enemies."  ^ 

Father  De  Smet,  1840:  **The  Kansas  spent  a 
part  of  their  time  in  hunting,  apart  in  idleness,  and 
a  part  in  planting  and  cultivating  small  crops  at 
home.  They  use  ardent  spirits  less  than  any  other 
tribes,  yet  they  are  degraded  and  improvident  to 
some  extent  by  this  poison;  soine  few  of  them  have 
reformed;  they  are  more  ready  to  receive  iastruction 


306  SKUNKS  AND  DOGS  EDIBL.E. 

than  they  were  formerly;  but  most  of  them  are 
strongly  inclined  to  hold  on  to  their  savage  habits  and 
superstitious  worship.  The  main  difficulties  in  teach- 
ing these  Indians  are  their  wandering  habits,  and 
their  fondness  for  war  with  other  tribes.  They  are 
at  home  about  four  months  in  the  year.  The  Osages 
are  a  stately  race;  their  men  are  exceedingly  large 
andtaU.^' 

John  D.  Long  and  Samuel  Taylor,  1842:  ''The 
Osages  are  the  tallest  Indians  in  America;  few  less 
than  six  feet,  and  very  many  six  and  one-half  and 
some  seven  feet." 

There  are  numerous  other  authorities,  but  there 
can  be  no  controversy  regarding  the  physique  of  the 
two  Kansas  Indian  tribes.  The  chief  of  the  Great 
Village  was  exceedingly  anxious  to  outdo  the  tribes 
who  had  already  entertained  the  visitors,  so  the  fat- 
test and  finest  dogs  were  killed  in  honor  of  the  visi- 
tors, and  all  description  of  game  were  cooked,  and 
esi)ecially  skunks  (polecats)  were  sought,  they  being 
to  the  Indian  what  the  opossum  is  to  a  colored  man. 
Of  all  the  nasty  looking  animals,  it  is  the  opossum.  A 
skunk  at  least  looks  more  edible  than  it. 

It  was  in  1840  when  Father  DeSmet  visited  the 
Flathead  Indians,  after  passing  through  the  Kansas 
tribe.  The  chief  of  the  Platheads,  then  located  on 
the  Green  river,  a  tributary  of  the  Colorado,  when  he 
met  the  holy  father,  said:  *'Blackgown,  my  heart  was 
filled  with  joy  when  I  learned  who  yow  were.  My 
lodge  never  received  a  \isitor  for  wliom  I  felt  greater 
esteem.  As  soon  as  I  was  apprised  of  your  couiing, 
I  ordered  kettles  to  be  filled,  and  in  your  honor  I 


THE  KANSAS  SUPERJOK  TO  PAWNEES.  307 

oammanded  that  my  three  fattest  dogrs  should  be 
serYed  up.''  This  quotation  is  from  the  work  written 
by  the  priest  himself. 

It  was  a  by- word  in  the  early  seventies  all  around 
the  Pottawatomie  and  Kickapoo  reservations  in  Jack- 
son and  Brown  counties,  whenever  a  fat  dog  was 
seen,  for  the  settlers  to  remark:  ** What  a  picnic  for 
the  Indians,"  meaning  what  a  feast  the  Indians  would 
have  if  they  could  steal  the  dog.  Now,  you  don't  be- 
lieve polecats  make  good  eating,  do  you?  But  as  you 
know,  in  1820,  the  Long  expedition  was  at  the  Kansas 
villages,  and  Dr.  James,  who  was  with  Major  Long's 
party,  wrote:  *'The  polecat  is  a  favorite  food  among 
ihe  Indians.  The  flesh  of  the  skunk  we  sometimes 
had  dressed  for  dinner,  and  found  it  to  be  remarka- 
bly rich  and  delicate  food." 

In  Kansas,  July  is  the  month  when  almost  all 
vegetables  and  grain  mature;  so  at  the  date  of  the  vis- 
it tiiere  was  ample  good  things  to  eat  without  the 
dogs  and  polecats.  The  old  Spanish  chroniclers  did 
not  record  the  name  of  the  chief  of  the  City  of  the 
Twenty-four,  so  it  cannot  be  given  here;  but  he  was 
a  noble  Red  Man.  Here  is  what  the  reverend  Father 
De  Smet  says  of  the  Kansas  Indians:  * 'Though  the 
Pawnees  were  six  times  more  numerous  than  the 
EjUDLsas,  they  have  on  almost  every  occasion  been  con- 
quered by  the  latter,  because  they  are  far  inferior  to 
them  in  the  use  of  arms,  and  in  strength  and 
courage." 

Please  bear  in  mind  that  these  intrepid  Spaniards 
are  now  sojourning  on  the  mighty  Missouri,  the  long- 
est  river  in  the  world,  4125  miles  in  length;  and 


308  TO  THE  west! 

don't  forget,  at  the  old  Kansas  City  of  the  Twenty 
four,  water  flowed  past  which  came  f torn  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  square  miles  of  land;  the  snow  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains  melts  and  runs  past  this  point,  and 
<Hily  those  who  have  viewed  the  Old  Muddy  stream 
can  conceive  its  masmitude.  How  beautiful  are  these 
linfipi: 

'To  the  West,  to  the  West,  to  the  Land  of  the  Free, 
Where  the  mighty  Missouri  rolls  down  to  the  sea; 

Where  a  man  is  a  man  if  he  is  willing  to  toil. 

And  the  humblest  may  gather  the  fruits  of  the  soil." 

Is  it  not  a  fact  that  people  who  are  located  on  the 
sea-coast  invariably  become  proficient  sailors?  And 
so  with  these  children  of  the  prairies,  who  lived  on  a 
mighty  water  course;  they  were  compelled  to  protect 
themselves  from  their  enemies  by  cultivating  the  art 
of  managing  canoes.  It  is  authoritatively  stated  that 
the  Sioux  Indians  were  expert  canoeists,  and  so  it 
wais  absolutely  necessEwy  for  the  denizens  of  the  City 
of  tb«  Twenty-four  to  be  prepared  to  counteract  the 
ri'ver-marauding  parties  of  the  Sioux. 

But  you  are  becoming  impatient  to  hear  from  the 
characters  of  our  story.  Well,  first,  Ysopete  has 
reached  home,  after  being  absent  several  years,  and 
worse  than  anything  else  to  an  Indian,  he  had  been  a 
slave,  but  thanks  to  the  magnanimity  of  the  Spaniards 
he  was  now  a  free  man. 

',  And  i>oor  Alonso!  He  is  stiU  in  the  bondage  of 
the  mind,  which  is  very  much  more  straining  upon 
the  nervous  system  than  is  physical  slavery.  She  is 
ever  uppermost  in  his  thoughts.  He  is  to  be  pitied, 
lor  witiiout  doubt  when  a  man  becomes  so  far  gone 


A  STEADFAST  LOVER.  ^09 

mhis  adoration  and  love  for  a  woman  that  is  eter- 
nally mirrored  upon  the  looking  glass  of  his  brain,  he 
is  in  a  bad  way;  but  it  Is  one  of  those  inexplicable, 
mysterious  ways  of  the  Almighty  which  finite  man 
cannot  comprehend,  but  he  is  permitted  to  endeavor 
to  fathom  such  an  ordeal.  It  would  be  presumptuous 
to  attempt  to  commune  with  the  Great  All-wise,  but 
may  not  a  few  interrogatories  be  put  to  you,  dear 
reader?  What  do  you  think  of  the  proposition  that  a 
male  of  the  human  family  is  compelled  to  go  through 
the  period  of  longing  for  her  he  loves  to  such  an  ex- 
tent that  the  wish  becomes  a  mania?  Again,  may  not 
the  Giver  of  All  Thoughts  have  brought  about  this 
state  of  things  so  that  when  the  being  upon  whom  the 
man's  thoughts  are  eternally  concentrated  comes  into 
his  presence,  she  will  appear  as  an  angel,  and  the 
brute  in  the  man  will  be  so  subdued  by  her  presence 
that  his  conduct  will  be  such  that  his  Maker  will  re- 
cord in  the  great  book  of  deeds  and  thoughts:  *'Well 
done,  you  weak  and  frail  man?"  Or,  i«  this  order  of 
things  brought  about  so  that  the  great  longing  for  her 
company  and  presence  will  cause  him  to  be  more  con- 
siderate of  the  frail  creature  when  the  time  arrives 
that  he  is  given  the  moral  and  legal  right  to  the  sole 
possession  of  that  one  creature  whom  he  has  selected 
out  of  the  millions  from  which  he  has  chosen  his  one 
love?  Perhaps  the  reason  for  putting  a  man  through 
such  experiences  is  to  try  him  by  fire,  as  it  were:  for 
does  it  not  demonstrate  the  constancy  of  the  lover? 
So  should  the  last  idea  be  correct,  then  if  ever  there 
was  a  man  true  to  his  sweetheart  it  was  Alonso. 

It  has  already  been  noted  what  Coronado  wrote 


31C  A  MODEL  MAN. 

the  King  in  regard  to  the  females  of  Quivira.  He  said 
they  resembled  Moorish  women.  Ah,  that  word 
''Moorish"  set  the  blood  of  Alonso  boiling,  for  it  more 
than  ever  brought  thoughts  of  his  Moorish  loved  one 
in  Salmanica;  but  there  was  a  little  solace  for  the 
man,  as  he  knew  they  were  now  turned  toward  New 
Spain,  which  he  was  longing  to  reach  so  as  to  get 
word  from  her,  and  this  kept  him  brave  and  manly  in 
resisting  temptations,  which  were  many.  One  thing 
which  helped  Alonso  to  shake  off  his  frequent  "blue 
spells"  was  his  resolve  to  outdo  himself  in  displaying 
his  proficiency  in  horsemanship,  if  called  upon  for 
any  demonstration,  and  he  felt  sure  that  the  natives 
will  not  be  content  until  they  witness  the  wonderful 
things  reported  of  the  strangers. 

The  chief  has  already  been  notified  that  only 
three  days  can  be  spared  for  the  stay,  and  everything 
is  in  a  bustle  preparing  for  the  entertainment;  in 
fact,  all  kinds  of  game  have  b^en  snared,  and  many 
buffalo  caught  alive  to  help  make  up  the  show;  several 
extra  large  wooden  canoes  have  been  made  by  scoop- 
ing out  from  the  largest  cottonwood  trees  a  solid  boat 
without  a  seam  or  crack. 

The  officers  had  frequently  conversed  about  how 
lliey  were  to  entertain  the  citizens  of  the  City  of  the 
Twenty -four,  and  not  desiring  to  repeat  the  program 
were  somewhat  handicapped  in  trying  to  originate 
something  new,  so  each  was  requested  to  make  suj  - 
gestions.  Alonso  volunteered  to  make  one,  to  give 
an  exhibition  of  skill  in  horsemf»nship;  this  he  agreed 
to  do,  because  he  knew  that  his  beloved  horse  had 
been  recoHin^  u  good  measure  o*   nice  new  corn,  and 


.fklTATING  THE  MOHAMMEDANS  811 

ITM  in  prime  condition  for  a  test  of  endurance,  so  it 
was  jwrranged  that  this  should  be  one  of  the  features. 
It  would  be  tedious  to  reiterate  everything  done 
by  the  Spaniards  to  amuse  the  natives,  for  much  of  it 
was  the  same  as  heretofore  rendered.  But  one  change 
in  the  program  may  be  interesting.  The  reader  is 
admonished  not  to  attribute  the  incident  to  fiction, 
for  the  history  of  Mohammed,  written  by  a  Christian 
clergyman,  recites  that  the  great  cavalry  general, 
Kahled,  unhorsed  thirteen  cavaliers  in  the  presence 
of  the  opposing  armies.  The  account  as  given  by  the 
author  goes  on  to  say  that  Mahomet  himself  was  with 
his  army,  and  instructed  his  renowned  general,  Kjahr 
led,  to  personally  reconnoiter  the  enemy,  but  Ma- 
homet, knowing  the  reckless  bravery  of  his  emissary, 
admop^shed  him  to  not  get  too  close  to  the  enemy  ^s 
lines,  and  not  to  be  rash  or  take  any  chances  of  being 
captured.  In  view  of  both  armies,  the  reconnoiterer 
rode  his  magnil]cent  Arabian  steed  toward  the  oppos- 
ing army,  all  eyes  being  upon  him.  Of  course,  the 
enemy  was  on  the  qui  vive,  and  wondered  at  the  au- 
dacity of  the  man:  so  hastily,  twenty  of  their  fleetest 
mounted  knights  waited  until  the  solitary  horseman 
came  to  a  standstill,  and  was  making  a  minute  exam- 
inr^tjon  of  the  number  and  arrangement  of  the  lines, 
T^^Iien  simultaneously  the  twenty  brave  and  chivairic 
cavalrymen  rushed  peU-mell  at  the  apparently  fool- 
hardy individual.  The  arrangement  of  the  twenty 
w  as  to  cut  off  his  retreat,  the  pt^ocedure  having  been 
hurriedly  conceived  while  waiting  the  apyroachof  the 
horseman;  but  owing  to  the  plan  of  the  twenty  neces- 
sitating their  acting  individually,  gave  the  brave  Arab 


312      ALONSO  UNDERTAKES  A  TASK. 

%n  exeellent  opportunity  to  display  his  superb  horse- 
manship and  superiority  in  the  use  of  the  lance  and 
sword. 

The  authority  heretofore  cited  then  graphically 
describes  how  Kahled  so  arranged  his  speed  that  he 
would  only  permit  one  of  the  twenty  to  come  at  him 
singly,  he  governing  the  speed  of  his  steed  so  as  to 
select  his  man,  while  retreating  toward  his  own  ara^y, 
and  out  of  the  twenty  thirteen  were  unhorsed,  all  in 
plain  view  of  the  thousands  who  witnessed  the  glor- 
ious feat  of  valor. 

Alonso  knew  he  had  as  fine  a  horse  as  was  ever 
possible  for  man  to  back,  and  since  his  eighteenth 
year  had  practiced  the  necessary  quick  turns  and  ab- 
rupt stx>ps  in  imitation  of  the  great  Kahled,  who  had 
been  frequently  spoken  of  to  him  by  her.  In  fact,  he 
ha  i  iiKiny  times  been  in  the  arena  of  the  Arabs  at 
hom  ^  and  had  every  confidence  in  his  ability  to  un- 
d.  rtake  the  task  of  unhorsing  ten  of  the  troop.  Not 
only  were  the  natives  excited  about  the  contest,  but 
the  Spaniards  were  more  so,  for  it  was  an  unusual 
t  .iPg  to  them,  and  there  was  a  good  deal  of  specula- 
tion as  to  the  outcome,  few  if  any  thinking  it  possible 
f  jr  one  man  to  put  ten  men  hors  de  combat.  '  At  the 
request  of  Alonso,  the  officers  were  to  take  no  part; 
he  did  this  because,  at  the  bottom  of  his  heart,  he  had 
n3  doubt  of  his  ability  to  even  unhorse  the  hardy  old 
war  veteran,  JaramiUo,  yet  more  Coronado,  who  had 
not  had  the  experience  which  the  redoubtable  captain 
had.  So  ten  of  the  rank  and  file  volunteered  to  be  th€^ 
attacking  party.  It  was  arranged  that  the  exhibiting- 
should  be  aboi,it  as  was  enacted  at  the  memorable  real 


EASY   WHEN  YOU  KNOW  HOW.  813 

tilt,  where  the  renowned  Kahled  covered  himself  with 
universal  and  everlasting  glory.  Of  course,  you  un- 
derstand that  all  the  spears  were  made  harmless,  aa 
it  was  a  friendly  bout,  and  there  was  no  desire  to  in- 
jure any;  but  whenever  one  was  dehorsed.  he 
was  out  of  the  game. 

The  one  important  point  which  Alonso  figured  on 
was  the  fact  that  none  of  the  horses  had  ever  been 
trained  to  this  line  of  riding;  all  they  knew  was  to  go 
straight  ahead,  not  having  been  schooled  to  answer  to 
the  pressure  of  the  thighs  and  peculiar  swaying  of 
the  body,  and  more  particularly  Alonso  had  found  out 
that  not  one  of  the  party  had  acquired  the  knack  of 
having  his  horse  take  the  shock  of  pushing  the  an- 
tagonist from  off  his  steed.  This  is  what  made  it  so 
easy  for  our  young  hero. 

\.t  the  appointed  signal,  the  ten  men  rushed  from 
their  station  for  the  purpose  of  surrounding  him,  but 
Alonso  then  made  straight  for  the  man  who  was  com- 
ing toward  him,  he  being  the  nearest  the  starting 
point,  and  when  the  first  victim  saw  he  was  selected, 
and  his  blood  not  being  very  warm  from  excitement, 
as  is  necessary  to  perform  heroic  deeds,  was  so  dazed 
that  he  was  not  himself,  and  was  an  easy  mark;  but 
there  are  still  nine  left,  and  our  champion  had  re- 
solved to  act  with  all  the  speed  there  was  in  Babieca, 
for  the  animal  responded  alacriously,  like  he  did  in 
Spain  when  he  had  the  best  of  feed:  so  quicker  than 
it  takes  to  put  the  words  on  paper,  the  instant  the 
first  man  was  put  out  of  business  the  horse's  direc- 
tion was  so  quickly  changed  that  the  next  poor  fellow 
was  taken  by  surprise,  and  worse  still,  his  horse 


314  ALONSO  IMITATING   KAHLED. 

would  not  face  the  long  pole  when  he  saw  it  commp^ 
toward  his  head,  so  took  the  bit  in  his  mouth  and  turn- 
ed away,  being  afraid  of  getting  a  thump,  but  the 
equine's  timidity  was  fatal  to  its  rider.  Alonso  was 
in  the  height  of  his  glory. 

It  was  the  most  pleasurable  experience  of  his 
life,  sitting  on  that  noble  steed  with  all  the  confidence 
possible  for  any  human  to  have  in  his  breast.  It  was 
a  rapid  gait  which  Alonso  took,  and  as  his  horse  got 
warmed  up  it  seemed  as  though  it  was  made  of 
springs,  so  nicely  did  he  respond  to  the  slightest 
pressure.  Within  ten  minutes,  seven  of  the  men  were 
walking  from  the  arena,  if  the  prairie  can  be  so  called. 
Now  the  other  three  remaining  men  plainly  saw  what 
the  result  would  be,  so  riding  up  to  each  other  col- 
eluded  they  would  double  up  on  their  redoubtable  op- 
ponent, and  all  three  rushed  abreast  toward  Alonso, 
but  he  instantly  took  in  the  situation  and  pretended 
to  come  toward  them  at  full  speed;  but  just  a  few 
yards  before  reaching  the  three  he  caused  his  horse  to 
swerve  to  the  right,  so  that  he  passed  all  three  out  of 
reach;  of  course,  the  three  went  rushing  past  at 
break-neck  speed,  but  as  soon  as  they  found  their 
plans  were  thwarted  they  puUed  up  their  horses  to 
bring  them  to  a  stop  so  as  to  turn  toward  their  antag- 
onist; but  Alonso  knew  his  plan,  which  A^a^,  that  no 
sooner  had  he  got  from  in  front  of  the  trio  than  h's 
horse  was  brought  around  and  was  following  the 
three  before  they  had  time  to  observe  what  had  hap- 
pened, and  just  as  the  nearest  man  to  our  champion 
was  about  to  turn  his  horse,  he  found  a  spear  coming 
in  contact  with  his  body,  which  came  so  sudden  that 


ALONSO  UNHOBSBD  TKN  MBK  315 

bfS  was  pushed  from  his  saddle  very  scientifically,  and 
now  there  was  only  two  left,  and  these  two  could 
plainly  see  \he  outcome,  but  concluded  to  make  one 
rush  at  the  impregnable,  indefatigable,  single  horse- 
man. But  Alonso  just  played  with  them  for  several 
minutes,  as  the  entertainment  was  too  short,  having 
lasted  about  fifteen  minutes,  and  when  our  young 
lieutenant  had  permitted  the  two  men  to  make  sev- 
eral rushes  at  him,  once  or  twice  he  actually  stopiped 
his  horse,  but  just  before  they  reached  him,  caused 
his  barb  to  spring  aside  and  let  the  two  horses  pass 
without  any  damage  to  either  party.  But  all  of  a  hur- 
ry the  last  of  the  ten  is  on  the  grass  instead  of  the 
horse's  back,  and  then  it  is  that  all  the  Spaniards,  in 
eluding  the  ten,  surround  the  young  man,  for  they 
spontaneously  felt  an  admiration  for  their  young 
countryman  which  they  could  not  restrain.  Coro- 
nado  hugged  the  young  fellow,  and  in  fact  every  man 
of  the  thirty-six  did  something  to  convey  their  appro- 
val and  appreciation  of  the  wonderful  demonstration. 
But  Ysopete  and  Monte  had  to  abide  their  time  to 
show  their  adulation  of  their  master,  but  to  Alonso 
their  approval  and  pleasure  affected  him  even  more 
than  the  soldiers;  he  had  tested  their  friendship  by 
acts,  for  had  not  these  two  natives  ministered  to  his 
physical  wants,  not  for  days,  but  for  weeks  and 
months,  studying  every  possible  contingency  for  his 
comfort?  Had  not  Monte  saved  his  life  by  use  of  the 
antidote  when  his  hand  got  accidentally  poisoned? 
The  good  Father  Padilla,  reverently  placing  his  hand 
upon  Alonso's  head,  blessed  him  with  a  fervor  and 
with  such  beautiful  words,  that  it   really   affected 


3iG  FATHER  PaDILLA. 

the  rough  soldiers,  and  particularly  the  lieutenant 
himself. 

The  day's  entertainment  was  made  up  of  drill, 
sword  contests,  and  for  a  change  the  men  sang  a 
Spanish  hymn,  and  Father  PadiUa  spoke,  which  was 
in  x^art  repeated  by  Ysopete.  The  substance  of  the 
holy  man's  discourse  was  to  convey  his  great  desire 
to  bring  them  to  the  true  God,  and  closing  his  ad- 
dress with  the  suggestion  that  he  might  return  to 
their  midst  and  make  his  home  with  them,  if  they 
would  permit;  and  to  the  last  suggestion  the  chiefs 
and  the  people  gave  cheerful  assent. 

Coronado  has  not  been  idle,  for  he  is  becoming 
very  anxious  about  the  army  that  is  wending  its  way 
toward  Cibola,  and  so  has  made  diligent  inquiries  rel- 
ative to  the  best  route  to  take  on  his  return,  and  has 
concluded  that  he  can  investigate  the  country  of  the 
Osages  on  his  way  home;  and  further,  he  has,  since 
reaching  the  City  of  the  Twenty-four,  been  reliably 
informed  that  white  metal  can  be  taken  from  the  earth 
in  the  Osage  country;  this  information  spurs  him  on, 
as  so  far  Quivira  has  given  no  evidence  of  having  min- 
erals of  any  description.  Of  course,  the  natives  knew 
nothing  of  the  commercial  value  of  smelter,  lead  and 
zinc  compared  with  silver;  they  knew  that  it  was 
white,  and  the  wily  Spaniards  naturally  thought  it 
was  silver,  and  this  was  the  article  most  coveted.  It 
may  be  history  to  know  that  in  1718  miners  v/ere  sent 
from  Prance  by  the  Company  of  the  West,  or  Missis- 
sippi Company,  which  made  John  L?.w  famous,  and 
these  men  actually  did  mine  lead  and  some  silver  on 
the  Osage  river. 


Till!:  RICH  OSAGES,  317 

Asking  your  kind  indulgence  for  digression,  but 
is  it  not  reasonable  that  one  thing  which  made  the 
Osages  such  shrev/d  business  Indians  may  have  been 
the  fact  that,  as  early  as  1719,  M.  De  Brenville  visited 
the  lead  mines  of  the  Osages,  and  from  that  date  car- 
avans were  constantly  coming  and  going,  and  as  early 
as  1723  a  fort  was  built  by  the  French  called  Fort  Or- 
leans, which  was  located  above  the  mouth  of  the  Osage 
river  on  an  island  in  the  Missouri  river?  Hence  by 
reason  of  coming  in  contact  with  civilization  at  so  early 
a  period,  is  there  any  wonder  that  the  Osage  Indians 
of  Oklahoma  are  the  richest  people  in  the  world? 
Again,  if  you  trace  history  you  will  find  how  keen  they 
were  to  acquire  the  very  cream  of  the  land  in  the  In- 
dian Territory. 

But  coming  back  to  the  commander  of  the  Hying 
expedition.  He  resolved  to  reduce  his  baggage  to  the 
least  possible  weight,  so  was  able  to  offer  several  use- 
ful articles  as  prizes  to  induce  the  natives  to  take  part 
in  the  sports.  It  is  unnecessary  to  go  through  the 
same  horse  races  by  the  Indians,  and  the  ludicrous 
ajypearance  made  by  them;  also  the  running  races, 
except  to  state  that  Ysopete  took  one  of  the  principal 
prizes  for  running,  and  had  also  entered  into  the 
great  swimming  contest  across  the  swift,  opaque 
Missouri  and  return.  As  before  recorded,  Ysopete 
was  in  the  pink  of  condition,  and  since  his  return 
home  to  his  own  loved  ones,  and  to  be  a  free  man,  it 
gave  a  buoyancy  of  spirit  to  the  fellow  that  he  felt  as 
though  he  could  fly.  The  men  who  dwelt  with  the 
Indians  of  Kansas  have  stated  that  all  the  men,  wom- 
en and  children  were  expert  swimmers,  and  they  must 


818  POWER  OF   THE  EOV/, 

of  necessity  have  been  so,  for  frequently  wnen  hunt- 
ing they  would  have  to  retreat  toward  home;  often 
wide  and  swollen  streams  would  have  to  be  crossed 
to  avoid  a  superior  enemy,  and  they  always  had  a 
large  number  of  dogs  that  were  trained  to  swim.  But 
when  it  came  to  crossing  the  Big  Muddy  and  then  re- 
turning, it  was  a  task  that  only  bold  spirits  would  un- 
dertake, and  then  they  had  to  start  quite  a  ways  up 
the  stream,  as  the  current  would  carry  the  most  ex- 
pert swimmer  down  stream.  By  reason  of  the  prizes 
won  by  our  Indian  guide,  and  the  prestige  of  having 
learned  many  things  new  to  the  natives,  it  made  him  a 
prominent  character  among  his  own  people.  But 
there  is  one  thing  which  should  be  mentioned  here, 
because  it  seems  incredible;  but  the  authorities  bear 
out  the  statement  hereafter  to  be  made.  At  the  bow 
and  arrow  contest  heretofore  described,  it  was  stuffed 
buffalo  which  was  used  for  targets;  but  here  the  real 
live  animals  are  to  be  let  loose,  and  a  powerful  Indian 
brought  down  one  with  the  arrow,  and  the  force  of 
the  missile  was  so  tremendous  that  not  only  did  the 
arrow  go  through  the  grown  buffalo  but  came  out  and 
lodged  in  the  ground.  Again,  in  another  contest,  a 
fine  animal  was  let  loose,  aad  one  man  was  so  swift 
that  he  actually  outran  the  bull  and  killed  it  with  his 
flint  knife.  One  more  incident  must  be  mentioned, 
for  in  after  years  it  was  resorted  to  more  frequently 
botii  in  hunting  and  war,  and  the  white  settlers  when 
Idlfing  buffalo  for  the  hide  only  resorted  to  the  same 
tactics  as  were  used  by  the  plains  Indians  many  years 
before;  i.  e.,  the  nse  of  decoy  buffaloes:  It  was  one  of 
the  most  laughable  things  seen  among  the  Quivirans 


DBCJOY  BUFPAIjOES.  819 

by  the  Spaniards.  BufEaloes  had  been  skinned,  leav- 
ing the  head  and  horns  in  their  natural  shape  by  stuff- 
ing same  with  grass;  then  the  Indian' would,  as  it 
were,  get  inside  of  the  skin  and  mimic  the  animal  to 
such  perfection  that  it  appeared  to  be  the  real  thing; 
and  to  cap  the  climax,  several  had  calves  by  their  side^ 
a  boy  being  used  to  represent  the  calf.  It  is  said  that 
in  warfare  one  tribe  often  fooled  their  opponents  by 
this  method,  until  it  became  too  common  to  work. 

In  a  former  chapter,  the  matter  of  scalping  has 
been  touched  upon.  The  assertion  was  there  made 
that  doubts  were  entertained  as  to  the  practice  being 
original  with  the  Indians,  and  now  that  we  are  among 
the  tribes  after  which  the  Hub  State  is  named  (Kan- 
sas), it  might  be  well  to  discourse  on  this  theme  for  a 
nttle.  It  is  remarkable,  aU  things  considered,  when 
it  is  realized  that  the  numerous  tribes  of  aborigines 
scattered  all  over  North  America,  differ  to  an  extraor- 
dinary degree  in  the  treatment  of  their  heads.  It 
has  been  intimated  how  the  Osages  flattened  the  back 
of  the  babies'  heads  by  strapping  them  to  a  board 
but  whether  the  Kansans  did  likewise  cannot  authori- 
tatively be  stated,  but  analogous  reasoning  would 
compel  the  belief  that  both  the  native  tribes  of  Kansas 
shaved  off  their  hair,  or  rather  pulled  out,  burnt  or 
shaved  their  pates,  leaving  only  a  tuft  on  the  top,  to 
which  was  braided  a  feather,  or  tail  of  a  deer.  Does 
it  occur  to  you  what  a  peculiar  sight  it  must  have  been 
to  have  several  hundred  warriors  with  not  a  single 
visible  hair  upon  their  bodies,  except  the  tuft  hereto- 
fore described?  And  right  here  it  is  desired  to  em- 
phasize the  fact  these  two  peoples  were  the  only  ones 


820  SCALPING  NOT  UNIVERSAI.. 

recorded  who  treated  their  heids  in  suca  m^tiner. 
That  the  reader  may  have  no  doabt  of  this  peculiar 
assertion,  a  few  citations  from  the  extant  writing  of 
men  who  saw  them  in  their  native  villages  in  Kansas. 
CatUn  says:  '*The  Osages  shave  their  heads/' 
In  the  official  account  of  the  Long  Expedition,  this 
sentence  is  found:  **They  pluck  all  their  hair,  even 
theeyehrows,  and  aulla  (under  the  arms),  and  pube/' 
Father  De  Smet  says:  **They  have  their  heads  shav- 
ed contrary  to  the  customs  of  other  tribes. "  Hubert 
Howe  Bancroft,  in  his  **Native  Races,"  writes:  **The 
Comanches  take  a  few  scalps  for  the  purpose  of  being 
used  at  the  war  dance  when  victorious.'*  The  same 
author  says:  "The  practice  of  scalping  among  the 
California  Indians  was  not  universal,  but  was  practic- 
ed in  some  localities;  they  cut  off  hands  and  feet." 
Here  is  what  is  found  in  the  Smithsonian  14th  Annual 
Report  of  Ethnology:  **It  is  to  be  noted  that  the 
Osages  beheaded  the  Bjowas  without  scalping  them. 
This  the  Kiowa  says  was  a  general  Kiowa  practice;  in 
fact,  according  to  Kiowa,  theOsag^  never  scalpad  his 
enemies,  but  cut  off  the  heads,  and  ieft  them  unscalp- 
ed  upon  the  field.  They  kept  tally  of  the  number 
kaUed,  however,  and  when  an  Osage  warrior  had  kiUed 
four,  he  painted  a  blue  half  circle  curved  downward 
upon  his  breast. ' '  Also  the  same  work  states :  *  *The 
Dakota  at  an  early  period  used  to  do  likewise  and  not 
scalp." 

The  14th  Smithsonian  Ethnology  recites  that  in 
1775  the  British  caUed  all  the  Indians  from  the  Lakes 
to  the  Gulf,  distributed  all  kinds  of  articles,  and  of- 
fered rewards  for  American  scalps;  ib.  further  re- 


ORIGIN  OF  KANSAS  AND  OSACJES*  821 

cords  that  in  King  Philip's  war  in  1676,  the  English 
soldiers  got  thirty  shillings  for  every  Indian  scftlp, 
and  Philip's  head  was  cut  oft  and  went  at  the  same 
price;  ih.  also  says  in  substance,  that  in  1725  one 
Lovewell,  having  recruited  a  company  of  forty  men, 
found  ten  Indians  asleep,  scalped  them  and  took  same 
to  Boston  and  received  £1,000  (about  $5,000),  and  fur- 
ther intimated  that  Lovewell  was  in  the  business  of 
scalping,  but  he  got  himself  killed.  How  would  the 
average  man  feel  toward  an  outfit  whose  business  was 
to  tear  the  skin  off  another's  head  in  cold  blood?  Can 
you  blame  the  Indian  for  retaliating?  And  does  it  not 
appear  a  little  as  though  the  civilized  nation  first  inau- 
gurated the  atrocious  custom?  Can  you  not  see  that 
to  bring  to  the  authorities  han  Is,  foot  or  any  small 
member  of  an  Indian's  body  might  lead  to  fraud?  But 
without  a  single  exception,  every  Indian  has  straight 
black  hair,  which  would  not  even  require  an  expert  to 
detect;  and  again  how  necessary  to  have  a  crown, 
otherwise  how  easy  it  might  be  to  manufacture  sev- 
eral scalps  from  one  flayed  head! 

But  the  time  is  reached  when  our  party  must 
proceed  on  their  journey  home,  but  before  they  leave 
the  Kansas  people  it  is  desired  to  say  a  few  words  rel- 
ative to  their  origin.  It  must  be  admitted  that  the 
place  from  whence  they  came  is  only  conjecture.  It 
is  recorded  by  Du  Pratz,  who  wrote  of  these  people 
about  1750:  **The  tradition  of  their  emigration  from 
their  old  home  to  the  northward  of  the  great  lakes, 
the  journey  southward,  their  separation  into  bands 
and  settlement  on  the  Missouri  and  its  tributaries, 
was  familiar  to  many  of  the  tribes  when  they  first  be- 


322  CORONADO  ERECTS  A  CROSS. 

came  kaDwn  to  the  French.  In  the  great  migration, 
tlie  Kansas  and  Osage  formed  themselves  into  distinct 
ba:ids,  and  located  their  villages  on  the  banks  of  the 
Missouri,  the  Kansas  and  the  Osage  rivers.  How  long 
this  vast  territory  his  been  peopled  by  these  tribes 
there  is  no  certain  knowledge;  whether  they  were  the 
first  settlers  no  one  can  tell."  The  Kansas  branch  is 
now  located  upon  their  small  reservation  adjoining 
Kansas  in  the  Indian  Territory,  and  by  a  remarkable 
coincidence,  they  are  situated  in  the  same  direction 
from  the  Osage s  as  they  were  originally  in  Kansas; 
i.  e.,  north  and  west.  From  a  casual  view  of  the  map 
showing  the  Kansas,  Pawnee  and  Osage  reservations, 
it  would  seem  that  the  last  named  has  many  times 
more  territory  than  has  the  first  two;  but  upon  this 
we  shall  further  touch  when  our  expedition  arrives  in 
the  Osage  territory. 

This  chapter  must  not  be  closed  until  an  impor- 
tant incident  has  been  mentioned.  Jaramillo,  in  his 
record  of  the  expedition,  has  left  for  future  ages  to 
think  over  this  statement:  **We  turned  back,  it  may 
have  been  two  or  three  days,  where  we  provided  our- 
selves with  picked  fruit  and  dried  corn  for  our  re- 
turn." It  is  assumed  that  it  took  the  party  two  or 
three  days  to  travel  from  the  Pawnee  villages  to  the 
City  of  the  Twenty-four,  which  is  distant  sixty  or 
sixty -five  miles,  at  which  place  they  prepared  new 
corn  by  drying  same;  (this  is  done  by  thrifty  far- 
mers' wives  at  the  present  time);  and  also  dried  fruit, 
which  in  the  early  settlements  was  also  done:  so  it 
looks  plausible  it  was  near  Atchison  where  the  Span- 
iards made  preparation  for  their  return  home.    Fur- 


SENDS  "'REGRETS/'  323 

ther,  he  says,  the  General  raised  a  cross  at  this  place, 
at  the  foot  of  which  he  made  letters  with  a  chisel, 
which  said  that  ''Francisco  Vasquez  de  Coronado^ 
general  of  that  army,  had  arrived  here/'  The  history 
of  Kansas  ^ives  the  inscription  to  be:  *'Thus  far 
caifie  Francisco  de  Coronado,  general  of  an  expedi- 
tion." ^  .  '  -./  -  ":  ,  .:-. 
In  the  reports  to  headquarters,  Coronado  report- 
ed that  he  went  as  far  north  as  the  40th  degree,  where 
he  erected  a  cross:  so  considering  the  fact  that  the 
matter  of  ci^nlating  the  distance  traversed  was  by  a 
man  or  men  counting  their  steps,  and  taking  the  mouth 
of  Independence  creek  as  being  the  location  of  the 
erection  of  the  cross,  it  only  lacked  twenty-four  miles 
of  being  on  the  true  40th  parallel  as  now  designated, 
which  surely  was  a  remarkably  accurate  reckoning, 
all  things  considered.  Again,  here  is  what  Jaramili) 
wrote  of  Ysopete:  *'The  Indian,  *Isopete,'  was  left 
here  where  the  cross  waj  erected,  and  we  took  five  or 
six  of  the  Indians  from  these  villages  to  lead  and 
guide  us  to  the  flat-roofed  houses. "  Since  arriving  at 
the  City  of  the  Twenty-four,  Coronado  has  learned 
that  it  will  be  out  of  his  way  to  visit  the  Little  Osage 
Chief,  as  promised,  so  he  has  hired  some  Indian  mes- 
senger to  transmit  to  the  chief  the  regrets  of  the  gen- 
eral at  n  »t  keeping  his  promise,  but  informed  the 
Ldttle  Osa*^e  Chief  that  the  party  is  to  visit  the  Great 
Osage  village,  and  requests  the  chief  to  meet  him 
there,  and  to  temper  the  disappointment,  Coronado 
sent  the  chief  nice  presents. 

**  So  we  must  forever  leave  the  noble,  true,  bravs 
Indian  guide,  Ysopete,  afc  his  homa    located  about 


824  GOOD-BY,  YSOPETE. 

where  the  city  of  Doniphan,  Atchison  county,  is  now 
built.  To  say  the  least,  it  is  a  coincidence  that  Ysopete 
has  been  given  his  liberty  and  the  stream  running 
past  his  home  should  years  afterwards  be  called  In- 
dei>endence.  We  thus  consign  this  Indian's  record- 
ed faithfulness  as  Indicative  of  the  character  of  the 
FIRST  settlers  of  the  great  and  glorious  state,  which 
will  forever  and  ever  oear  the  name  of  Kansas. 


TWENTY-FIRST. 

Merrily  down  the  stream  they  glidd, 
Thousands  of  miles  above  the  tide, 
Where  the  river  is  a  mile  w^ide, 
Escorted  by  Indians,  true  and  tried. 


T  WAS  mentioned  in  the  last  chapter 
that  several  extra  large  canoes  and' 
pirogues  had  been  constructed,  and' 
now  they  are  to  be  put  to  practical- 
use.  The  chief  of  the  City  of  the- 
Twenty-four,  being  apprised  by  Yso-^ 
pete  at  the  request  of  Coronado,  has  come  to  under- 
stand  the  wishes  of  the  party  to  proceed  home  by  the' 
nearest  route  after  visiting  the  Osages,  and  the  chiet 
has  arranged  to  allow  six  of  his  best  men  to  accompa- 
ny the  party  so  as  to  guide  them.  These  men  having 
had  considerable  experience,  and  with  the  informa- 
tion which  Ysopete  was  able  to  give  them,  they  were 
sure  of  being  ready  to  conduct  them  over  a  route 
which  even  in  those  days  was  considerably  traveled; 
and  to  make  the  journey  as  comfortable  as  possible, 
it  was  arranged  that  the  baggage,  prepared  meat, 
corn,  fruit,  and  especially  the  dried  and  ground  buf- 
falo meat,  should  be  transported  down  the  Missouri 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  river.     By  this  course  it 


328  DOWN   THE   MISSOURI. 

would  be  a  rest  for  the  party,  thus  giving  them  an  op- 
portunity to  recuperate  before  making  the  final  dash 
for  home.  This  plan  of  river  transi)ortation  was  as- 
sented to  by  the  Spaniards,  after  secret  consultation 
by  every  man  of  the  expedition,  for  the  officers  were 
fearful  that  when  divided  some  accident  or  advantage 
might  be  taken  of  them,  so  it  was  arranged  that  each 
man  should  carefully  care  for  his  arms,  and  never 
part  with  them;  and  a  code  of  signals  was  agreed  upon 
in  case  of  any  suspicious  circumstance,  great  care  be- 
ing taken  to  send  out  an  advance  guard  to  report  dan- 
ger ahead,  it  being  agreed  that  the  scouts,  under  no 
provocation,  were  to  fire  unless  they  saw  people  to 
the  number  of  over  twenty  ahead,  and  the  boat  and 
land-party  were  each  to  keep  watch  of  the  other,  and 
both  to  camp  for  the  night  at  the  same  place. 

The  chief  had  sent  messengers  to  the  villages 
along  the  Kansas  river  and  to  the  Osages,  so  while 
our  party  is  going  down  the  Missouri,  there  are  num- 
erous water  and  land  groups  making  toward  the  Kaw 
(Kansas)  mouth  to  take  a  last  look  at  the  wonderful 
men  and  their  horses. 

The  distance  from  the  City  of  the  Twenty-four  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  river  is  about  fifty  miles,  and 
it  is  arranged  that  the  trip  can  easily  be  made  in  two 
days.  Of  course  the  canoes  have  to  travel  neariy 
twice  as  far  on  account  of  the  crookedness  of  the 
river.  But  the  current  of  the  Missouri  is  easily  four 
miles  an  hour,  and  our  canoes  are  well  manned  by 
Indians,  who  dexterously  propel  the  craft  with  their 
paddles,  so  that  it  is  easy  to  keep  up  with  the  horses 
and  men  g^oing  along  the  bank.    Usually  at  noon  the 


ISLE  AU  vachb:'  v-  327 

two  parties  met  for  dinner  and  changed  off,  those 
riding  in  the  canoes  taking  the  places  ol  those  who 
have  conducted  the  horses  in  the  forenoon,  thus 
breaking:  the  monotony.  -  .   '  '^ 

The  first  day  out  from  the  village  of  the  Twenty- 
four,  our  party  passed  the  **Isle  An  Vadbe,"  so 
named  by  the  French  before  1804,  when  Lewis  and 
Clark  stopped  on  their  trip  up  the  Missouri.  This 
island  has  quite  a  history.  Its  location  is  directly 
opiKJsite  Oak  Mills,  ten  miles  south  of  Atchison.  Up 
tni  the  great  flood  of  1881,  it  contained  more  than  a 
thousand  acres,  but  in  that  year  the  channel  of  the 
ever-changing  river  took  a  direction  which  left  the 
isle  high  and  dry,  as  it  were,  on  the  Missouri  side, 
but  is  still  in  Kansas  by  the  judgment  of  the  courts.- 
Various  are  the  legends  relative  to  the  origin  of  the^ 
name.  The  French  word  **Vache"  means  cow,  and>' 
the  popular  belief  is  that  in  some  mysterious  way  ai^ 
solitary  cow  was  found  there.  One  explanation  m 
that  the  Indians  in  early  times  stole  a  milk  cow  froHi^ 
near  St.  Cliarles,  Missouri,  and  in  order  to  hide  her 
fjrom  the  whites  secretly  hid  her  on  the  isle  awaiting 
developments.  Others  assert  it  was  a  buffalo  cow. 
The  latter  seems  the  most  reasonable,  for  a  captain 
of  a  steamboat  in  early  Missouri  river  navigation, 
wrote  to  a  gentleman  that  when  he  had  command  of  a 
steamer  plying  the  Missouri,  that  his  craft  was  fre- 
quently held  back  a  few  days  because  the  buffaloes 
crossing  the  river  were  so  thick  he  could  not  run  his 
steamer  through  them,  so  in  aU  probability  the  old 
cow,  while  crossing,  got  hurt,  or,  being  old,  concluded 
to  remain  in  the  ''Garden  of  Kansas,"  where  die 


828     Otm  PARTY  TURNED  HOMEWARD. 

conld  eat  of  everythinj?:  except  the  food  of  knowledge, 
which  was  not  there  to  lead  her  astray.  In  1804,  the 
Lewis  and  Clark  Expedition  noted  the  isle,  and  in 
October,  1818,  Captain  Martin,  with  three  companies 
of  soldiers  camped  on  the  island  waiting  supplies 
which  did  not  arrive  until  the  following  July,  and  the 
of&cial  record  says  the  hunters  brought  into  camp 
during  the  nine  months  nearly  3,000  deer  besides 
many  bears,  turkeys  and  all  kinds  of  game;  in  fact, 
the  party  lived  from  off  that  which  was  procured  by 
the  chase.  In  1819  Major  Long  came  along  and  fur- 
nished Captain  Martin  with  necessary  supplies  to 
continue  his  march.  It  was  here  in  1819  that  a  coun- 
cil was  held  between  representatives  of  the  United 
States  Government  to  arrange  with  the  Kansas  In- 
dians the  discontinuance  of  the  depredations  against 
the  white  settlers.  Major  OTallon  giving  them  to  un- 
derstand that  if  they  did  not  quit  such  practices  the 
Government  would  wipe  them  out.  History  says  the 
chiefs  acknowledged  the  justice  of  the  complaint  and 
promised  that  there  should  be  no  more  raids.  There 
were  161  Kansans  and  thirteen  Osages  present  at  the 
council. 

It  has  taken  rather  a  long  time  for  the  expedition 
to  go  thirteen  miles  down  the  river,  but  the  canoes 
and  land  party  are  continuing  their  journey,  never- 
theless, and  camp  for  the  night  a  little  below  the 
present  location  of  Leavenworth.  And  this  brings  to 
mind  the  joys  of  camping  out. 

Did  you  ever  camp  out?  If  you  have  not,  you 
have  missed  the  treat  of  a  life  time.  There  is  some- 
thing peculiar  and  yet  fascinating  about  this  mode  of 


CAMPING  OUT.  829 

living.  No  wonder  gypsies  continue  generation  after 
generation  to  follow  their  nomadic  lives,  and  just 
think  how  long  it  has  taken  to  hreak  the  Indian  of  his 
love  of  roughing  it  outdoors!  It  is  said  that  frequent- 
ly it  happens  that  a  young  Indian  will  go  through 
the  Carlisle  University,  in  Pennsylvania,  or  the  Has- 
kell Institute,  at  Lawrence,  Kansas,  and  notwith- 
Htanding  he  has  acquired  considerahle  learning,  and 
for  several  years  worn  boiled  shirts,  with  collars  and 
cuffs,  yet  upon  returning  to  the  place  of  his  nativity, 
he  will  develop  into  a  blanket  Indian;  that  is,  will 
leave  off  all  surplus  clothing  and  just  wear  a  red 
blanket  which  can  be  dropped  off  at  a  moment's  no- 
tice, thus  leaving  the  balmy  summer  zephyrs  to  cool 
his  body.  Those  who  have  never  experienced  the 
strange  sensation  the  freedom  such  a  life  gives  have 
no  possible  conception  of  the  satisfaction  it  causes; 
even  the  rough  food  tastes  good;  and  if  you  are  ill  or 
under  the  weather,  this  outdoor  life  is  the  finest  tonic 
that  can  possibly  be  procured.  Many,  yea  numerous, 
are  the  individuals  who  will  vociferously  exclaim. 
Amen!  to  this  statement.  But  these  we  cannot  quote, 
since  they  are  unknown  to  you,  but  when  a  character 
like  President  Roosevelt  is  appealed  to  for  a  substan- 
tiation of  this  assertion,  then  you  may  know  there  is 
some  force  in  the  statement,  and  should  these  few 
lines  ever  be  seen  by  him,  he  will  surely  smile  and 
perhaps  would  be  ** de-lighted,"  and  at  least  think,  if 
not  audibly  exclaim:  ''Right  you  are!*'  Everyone 
knows  how  he  loves  to  go  into  the  wilds  and  commune 
with  nature  and  rough  it.  And,  Mr.  President,  after 
you  have  been  harassed  to  death  by  a  lot  of  fool  polit- 


330  ROOSKV^fiL.T  AND  KOUOHING  IT* 

ical  stuff  and  your  brain  seems  as  though  the  wheels 
heeded  oil  and  there  are  hot  boxes  which  appear  to 
burn  the  cranium,  how  soothing  and  restful  do  you 
not  find  the  tin  cup  of  coffee  with  some  bacon  and 
bread  on  a  tin  plate,  with  the  beautiful  green  sward 
for  a  table  cloth;  and  better  still,  when  you  have  shot 
yourself  a  brace  of  quail  or  even  a  young  rabbit,  yet 
more  a  deer,  and  are  able  to  have  some  venison!  Ah! 
the  stupid  epicure  knows  not  what  heaven  is,  and 
without  fear  of  being  successfully  refuted,  the  asser- 
tion is  made  that  a  few  weeks  of  such  living  will  do 
the  average  overworked  business  man  more  good 
than  aU  the  medicine  he  can  swallow. 

And  so  our  party  who  are  camping  on  the  banks 
of  the  Missouri  are  surely  roughing  it,  but  are  happy 
and  know  nothing  of  business  worries. 

But  we  ought  not  to  pass  by  Leavenworth  in  pur 
suing  our  course  without  saying  hello!  For  this  place 
is  one  of  our  dear  old  Uncle  Sam's  proteges,  and  is 
worthy  of  a  few  moments.  Near  here  are  located  two 
prisons,  the  United  States  Federal  Prison  and  the 
Kansas  State  Penitentiary;  also  a  very  large  Soldiers' 
Home  and  other  public  institutions.  But  Fort  Leav- 
enworth is  the  desired  place  to  notice.  In  1827 
Cantonment  Leavenworth  was  occupied,  the  name  be- 
ing derived  from  General  Henry  Leavenworth,  but 
the  Frenchified  ''Cantonment"  was  dropped  and 
"Fort*'  was  substituted.  It  would  require  a  book  to 
properly  treat  of  this  place,  but  you  may  be  assured 
that  the  Grovernment  has  expended  a  vast  sum  of 
money  in  makinpr  it  an  ideal  place  for  storing  military 
supplies  and  for  quartering  soldiers.     The  grounds 


AT  MOUTH  OP   KANSAS  RIVER,  331 

comprise  nine  square  miles  running  for  over  five 
miles  along  the  banks  of  the  Missouri. 

Early  next  morning  our  party  is  again  on  their 
journey,  for  it  is  yet  twenty-five  miles  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Kansas  river,  and  it  is  desired  to  reach  that 
point  early  in  the  afternoon.  So  merrily  speed  the 
canoes,  and  cheerfully  travel  the  stock  and  their 
keepers,  as  the  animals  have  fine  pasture  and  enough 
new  corn  to  make  them  **f eel  their  oats,  ^' as  horse- 
men say,  and  the  men  have  reached  the  apex  of  the 
hill  and  are  over  the  other  side  going  down  the  Cor- 
dilleras toward  the  country  from  whence  they  came, 
and  they  like  the  animals  have  been  receiving  a  good 
measure  of  provender,  so  they  feel  like  kicking  up 
their  heels.  But  the  greatest  stimulus  is  that  little 
word  '*home,"  and  now  our  boats  are  speeding 
through  the  **filum"  (middle  of  the  stream),  where 
the  county  of  Wyandotte  is  now  carved  out.  (By  the 
by,  this  county  is  the  smallest  of  the  105  in  Kanisas, 
yet  Kansas  City  is  the  largest  in  the  Sunflower  State, 
so  no  doubt,  this  is  **paradoxicalnes8,*'  or  going  by 
the  cx)ntrary.) 

The  mouth  of  that  stream  (Kansas),  which  drains 
over  half  of  the  82,080  square  miles  contained  in  the 
borders  of  **Bleeding  Kansas,"  is  now  reached,  the 
boats  are  unloaded  and  all  is  activity,  for  Coronado  is 
determined  to  make  for  home  with  all  the  speed  pos- 
sible. So  the  Osage  warriors  and  guides  are  con- 
sulted and  arrangements  made  to  continue  the  jour- 
ney early  next  morning  for  the  Osage  village,  which 
was  at  the  date  of  our  story  located  near  the  forks  of 
the  Osage  river  in  the  southeast,  corner  of  Bates 
county,  Missouri. 


332  MAJOR  INMAN'S  ROUTE. 

Dear  Header,  one  of  the  aims  of  this  narralion  of 
the  expedition  attempted  to  describe  is  to  keep  true 
to  history  the  names  of  the  characters,  dates,  rivers, 
countries  and  location  of  places  visited,  in  order  that 
it  would  not  be  time  and  effort  uselessly  expended. 
But  although  everything  has  been  searched  vv^hich 
the  humble  position  of  the  compiler  permitted,  which 
were  meagre,  it  must  be  frankly  acknowledged 
that  on  reaching  the  confluence  of  the  Kansas  river, 
there  is  doubt  as  to  which  direction  the  party  took. 
Major  Henry  Inman,  an  authority  on  the  route  of  Cor- 
onado,  has  thirty-six  Spaniards  take  the  following 
course  from  the  City  of  the  Twenty-four:  "Following 
the  Missouri  south  to  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas;  thence 
westerly  along  the  northern  bank  of  the  north  fork  of 
the  Smoky  Hill,  where  it  crossed  the  Kansas,  and 
continued  along  the  north  bank  of  the  Smoky  Hill  to 
Big  Creek,  and  thence  turned  directly  south  to  the 
Arkansas  river."  Quite  considerable  time  was  de- 
voted in  looking  over  the  various  old  and  new  maps  of 
Kansas  to  endeavor  to  trace  the  way  taken,  but  the 
words  '*The  North  Fork  of  the  Smoky  Hill,"  was  a 
kind  of  a  puzzle,  as  no  map  shows  the  North  Fork 
of  the  Smoky  Hill  until  after  the  mouth  of  Big  Creek 
is  passed;  but  if  a  continuation  of  the  Smoky  Hill  is 
kept  up,  it  reaches  Big  Creek  which  empties  into 
the  Smoky  Hill  about  eight  miles  southwest  of  the 
city  of  Russell,  in  Russell  county,  Kansas;  and  nearly 
due  south  from  there  would  bring  the  party  to  the 
great  bend  in  the  Arkansas  river. 

But  coming  bade  to  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas 
from  whence  our  party  are  to  be  conducted  to  Batea 
county,  Missouri,  to  the  village  of  the  Grand  or  Great 


THE   LITTLE  OSAGES.  C33 

Osages.  It  is  presumptuous  to  deviate  trom  the 
route  as  mapped  out  by  Major  Inman;  but  then  it  is 
very  much  of  a  guess  with  him,  and  common  sense 
would  seem  to  bear  out  the  theory  that  owing  to  hav- 
ing found  no  mines  among  the  Kansas  and  Pawnees, 
the  Spaniards  would  be  sufficiently  interested  to 
travel  seventy-five  miles  to  make  personal  examina- 
tion of  the  locality;  and  when  it  is  considered  how 
beautiful  the  country  was  at  this  time  of  the  year,  it 
would  appear  at  this  late  day  as  though  the  party  had 
not  used  the  proper  energy  if  it  did  not  explore 
the  country  of  the  Osages.  Again,  bear  in  mind  that 
Ysopete  was  a  Kansas  Indian,  but  he  spoke  the  same 
dialect  as  the  Osages,  and  was  able  to  impart  the 
necessary  information  relative  to  the  customs  and  lo- 
cations of  that  tribe;  and  lastly,  if  Coronado  did  not 
visit  the  Grand  Osages  in  Bates  county,  Missouri,  it 
will  do  no  harm  for  the  purpose  of  this  book  to  men- 
tion such  facts,  but  may  give  some  light  as  to  the  his- 
tory of  that  tribe  of  Indians,  who  now  have  the  honor 
to  be  the  wealthiest  people  on  the  face  of  the  globe. 

A  good  deal  of  thinking  and  many  doubts  were 
entertained  as  to  which  of  the  Osage  villages  our 
party  should  be  taken.  The  idea  was  first  conceived 
to  continue  down  the  Missouri  to  the  town  of  Malta- 
Bend,  Saline  county,  Missouri,  for  without  doubt  in 
very  early  times  the  Little  Osages  were  there  located. 
This  conclusion  is  reached  from  what  Lewis  and 
Clark  say  in  1803,  that  "On  the  south  side  of  the  Mis- 
souri, they  passed  (  near  Malta  Bend)  an  old  village  ol 
the  Little  Oi$agea,  which  had  been  abandoned;  it  was 
some  distance  from  the  river  at  the  foot  of  a  small 


884  BATKS  COUNTY,   MLSSOUUI. 

hill.  It  was  the  Sacs  who  compelled  the  Missonris 
and  Osages  to  go  f  urtiier  west  and  the  Little  Osages 
were  compelled  to  locate  near  the  Great  Osages."  In 
a  note  under  the  last  statement  recites:  *'The  site  of 
these  Indian  tribes  (Little  Osages  and  Missouris)  are 
plainly  marked  on  D'Auville's  map  of  1752  and  also  on 
Perrin  de  Lac's  1805.  The  location  is  very  near  Malta 
Bend  in  Saline  county,  Missouri."  But  what  im- 
pelled taking  the  i>arty  to  the  Grand  Osages,  was  the 
fact  that  Marquette's  map,  drawn  in  1673,  locates  the 
Osages  quite  a  distance  from  the  Missouri  river,  and 
Du  Pratz's  map  of  Louisiana,  compiled  in  1757,  marks 
the  **Missouri8  and  Osages  southwest  of  the  Missouri 
river,"  and  in  1719  M.  De  Bienville  visited  the  Osage 
nation  at  their  village  near  the  Osage  river  at  "80 
leagues"  above  its  mouth,  or  in  round  numbers  220 
miles,  so  by  right  angle  lines  starting  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Osage  river,  in  Osage  county,  Missouri,  would 
make  about  170  miles  to  reach  the  forks  of  the  Osage, 
Bates  county,  Missouri,  but  as  the  crow  flies  it  is  on- 
ly 135  miles;  and  again,  taking  the  river  measurement 
and  allowing  for  the  crooks  and  bends,  would  make  it 
located  in  Bates  county,  Missouri. 

Because  of  the  trouble  had  in  locating  this  village 
of  the  Osages  in  Bates  county,  Missouri,  it  will  be 
well  to  make  sure  of  this,  for  the  first  thought  of 
those  interested  will  naturally  place  the  location  at 
Harmony,  Bates  county,  but  that  was  where  the 
Osage  mission  was  established  in  1820,  and  was  not  at 
the  Great  Osage  village.  Another  reason  for  locat- 
ing the  town  in  the  southwest  corner  of  Bates 
county,  is  the  fact  that  in  1808  the  Osages  claim  pret- 


AT  FORT  SIBLEY.  335 

ty  much  of  the  territory  south  of  the  Missouri  in  the 
State  of  Missouri,  which,  of  course,  was  unreason- 
able for  a  few  hundred  people.  So  Uncle  Sam  agreed 
to  give  the  Great  Osage  Indians  cash  down  $800  and 
$1,000  every  year  in  goods,  not  money,  and  the  Little 
Osages  received  $400  cash  and  were  to  be  given  $500 
worth  of  merchandise  annually,  and  by  this  treaty 
the  east  line  of  the  Osage  nation  was  fixed  twenty- 
four  miles  east  of  the  west  line  of  Missouri,  so  they 
still  retained  the  eight  counties,  extending  from  the 
Missouri  river  due  south  to  the  south  line  of  the 
State  of  Missouri  and  continuing  south  till  it  struck 
the  Arkansas  river.  Before  signing  the  treaty  relin- 
quishing the  territory  south  of  the  Missouri  river, 
the  Government  had  built  a  fort  or  block  house  at  the 
point  on  the  Missouri  river  where  the  village  of  Sib- 
ley is  now  located  in  Jackson  county,  Missouri.  This 
fort  was  variously  named  '*Fort  Osage,"  *'Fort  Clark/' 
'*Fort  Sibley,"  this  last  being  the  name  of  the  Govern- 
ment agent  for  several  years,  and  in  an  official  report 
to  the  United  States  by  Mr.  Sibley,  he  states  that  the 
location  of  the  Great  Osages  was  seventy-eight  meas- 
ured miles  due  south  of  Fort  Osage.  So  if  a  map  of 
Missouri  is  examined,  it  will  be  found  that  it  is  exact- 
ly that  distance  from  Sibley  to  the  forks  of  the  Osage 
river  in  the  southeast  corner  of  Bates  county  and  about 
ninety  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas. 

It  has  taken  three  days  for  our  party  to  make  the 
trip  to  the  Osages.  This  was  accomplished  while 
you  were  being  informed  of  its  location,  and  by  rea- 
son of  the  Indian  escort  s<ent  by  the  chief  to  help  car- 
ry the  now  small  amount)  pf  baggage,  the  journey  was 


ayt3  Alit^IVING  AT  OSAGE   MATION. 

made  easuy  m  tliree  daj^s,  and  after  !ir;iying  through 
the  usual  ceremony  of  smoking  the  pii^e  of  peace, 
before  the  strangers  were  allowed  to  enter  the  town, 
tttey  were  triumphantly  escorted  to  their  quarters, 
where  they  are  left  while  you  are  made  acquainted 
with  the  people  of  the  Osage  nation,  who,  with  few 
exceptions,  received  the  praises  of  those  who  came  in 
contact  with  them  in  early  times,  hefore  they  became 
contaminated  by  association  with  vicious  white  men, 
who  went  among  them  and  taught  them  evil  ways.      « 


TWENTY-SECOND. 

The  Chancers,  Little,  Great  and  Grand, 
Are  appellations  the  Osages  understand: 
And  now  that  you  are  in  their  land, 
An  introduction  is  given  to  the  band. 

They  are  true  and  will  stick  to  you; 
But  the  Sioux  outnumbered  the  few, 
Driving  the  Gsages  to  a  country  new, 
Where  they  reside  and  wealthy  grew. 

Now  compare  the  Osages  with  the  Sioux. 
The  former  ought  not  to  get  the  blues; 
To  locate  the  latter  would  be  news, 
Here's  wishing  both  their  blankets  will  lose! 

LTHOUGH  the  State  of  Kansas  is 
named  after  the  Indians  of  that  name, 
yet  the  conclusion  is  reached  after  con- 
considerable  research,  that  of  the  two 
original  people  that  claimed  the  terri- 
tory, the  Osage  Indians  were  the  nobler  of  the  two. 
All  through  history  they  have  more  said  about  their 
character  and  traits  than  the  Kansas.  No  reason  can 
be  assigned  for  this,  as  it  is  conceded  they  spoke  the 
same  language  and  were  of  the  same  stock  originally. 

Notb:  The  Department  of  the  Interior,  througrh  the  office  of  Indian 
AfJairs,  in  January,  1908,  kindly  furnished  the  figures,  showing:  number  of 
Indians  belongring  to  the  followlnfir  tribes?  Kansas  (or  Kaw)  207,  Osa^res 
1,994,  Pawnees  094,  Coraanc-hes  1,408.  The  United  States  Government  Report 
states  that  there  are  twenty-two  Sioux  divisions,  but  there  is  no  Sioux  res- 
ervation; and  althousrh  there  ar«  numerous  Sioux-«peaking  tribes,  if  there 
are  any  known  by  ihat  name  tbcy  hav«  not  been  run  across. 


888  "honest  injun/'j 

Btfore  proceeding  let  it  be  recorded  that  although 
only  thirty-six  men  comprised  the  expedition  which 
traversed  their  territory,  yet  no  word  of  complaint  is 
recorded  by  the  Spaniards  of  their  receiving  other 
than  the  most  courteous  and  considerate  treatment, 
and  the  translations  so  far  published  make  no  men- 
tion of  losing  a  single  article  by  theft;  and  when  it  is 
considered  what  a  temptation  it  must  have  been  to 
the  children  of  the  prairie,  it  compels  the  presump- 
tion that  they  were  honest,  and  more  than  that,  were 
not  bloodthirsty;  for  how  easy  it  would  have  been  for 
any  of  the  tribes  to  have  annihilated  the  party!  Again, 
it  is  a  fact  that  Father  Padilla  with  several  others  did 
return,  which  undoubtedly  demonstrates  the  friend- 
ship prevailing. 

Many  citations  could  be  here  given  wherein  the 
Osages  received  the  encomiums  of  those  who  were 
familiar  with  them.  A  missionary  in  a  report  made 
to  the  Government  in  1820,  said:  *'The  men  are  gener- 
ally of  a  lofty  stature,  of  a  fine  form,  and  of  a  frank 
and  open  countenance.  In  council  they  are  dignified, 
and  their  speeches  eloquent."  Missionaries  Chap- 
man and  Vinall  said  of  them  in  December,  1821:  "Saw 
White  Hair  again  today.  He  says  that  the  meddling 
traders  who  are  among  them  will  be  a  great  hin- 
drance to  our  success  in  obtaining  their  children,  as 
they  are  scattering  the  people.  It  appears  that  there 
are  some  traders  among  them  that  contrive  every 
plan  and  adopt  every  kind  of  artifice  and  intrigue  to 
lead  or  drive  the  Indians  away  from  the  trading 
houses  estabUshed  by  the  Government  in  order  to 
gain  the  trade  themselves.  White  Hair  says  he  thinks 


EARLY   MISSIONARIES'  RBCJORDS.  839 

we  shall  obtain  some  children;  but  until  these  things 
can  be  regulated  by  government  we  cannot  expect 
Tery  great  success."  Mr.  Sibley,  in  his  report,  corn- 
Mends  the  Osages  for  the  uniform  and  constant  faith- 
fulness to  the  French  and  Americans.  They  offered 
their  services  to  him  when  he  was  in  command  of 
Fort  Clark  (Fort  Osage),  when  British  emissaries  at- 
tempted to  enga^re  them  in  their  service,  and  declared 
their  determination  **never  to  desert  their  American 
Father  as  long  as  he  was  faithful  to  them."  There  is 
no  doubt  but  at  the  time  of  our  story,  there  were  two 
separate  bands,  viz.:  the  Great  or  Grand,  and  Little; 
but  in  1796  a  French  trader  seeing  he  had  lost  his 
prestige  and  monopoly  in  buying  peltries  of  the 
Osages  at  their  locations,  concluded  to  work  up  an 
emigration  scheme  so  he  could  establish  a  trading 
post.  This  man's  name  was  Pierre  Choteau,  a  St. 
Louis  fur  trader.  It  was  quite  cute  of  Mr.  French- 
man, who  offered  the  young  men  of  the  bands  every 
inducement  to  go  southwest.  The  scheme  succeeded 
and  a  third  nation  was  located  on  the  Verdigris  river 
in  the  southeastern  part  of  Kansas;  this  third  branch 
was  called  **Chaneers"  or  ** Arkansas  band"  and  be- 
came the  most  prominent. 

A  perusal  of  the  history  of  the  Osages  will  con- 
vince anyone  of  the  shrewdness  which  they  usually 
displayed  in  releasing  territory  to  the  Government 
and  acquiring  new  lands;  and  at  last,  all  the  three 
bands  joined  together  and  they  occupy  the  princely 
domain  now  owned  by  them  in  the  Indian  Territory, 
or  rather  the  State  of  Oklahoma,  (Oklahoma  and  In- 
dian Territories  having  come  into  the  Union  under 


840  OKLAHOMA. 

the  name  of  the  State  of  Oklahoma  within  the  last 
year).  At  this  writing,  the  fall  of  1907,  the  United 
States  Government  owes  the  1,994  members  of  the 
tribe  the  immense  sum  of  nine  millions  of  dollars,  and 
their  income  from  grazing  lands  and  oil  leases 
amounts  annually  to  $707  to  each  soul  in  the  nation. 
At  the  time  this  is  written,  one  of  the  leading  maga- 
zines contained  an  article  on  the  Indians  of  Oklahoma, 
and  there  was  a  late  photo  of  a  young  Osage  Indian. 
He  has  no  covering  on  his  body  from  the  waist  up,  ex- 
cept some  trinkets  hanging  over  different  parts  of  his 
chest,  so  they  cannot  be  yet  classed  among  the  civil- 
ized tribes.  The  five  civilized  tribes  of  the  Indian 
Territory  (now  Oklahoma  State)  are,  the  Cherokees, 
Choctaws,  Creeks,  Chickashas  and  Seminoles.  The 
Osages  are  stiJl  considered  by  the  settlers  of  Okla- 
homa as  blanket  Indians;  but  from  all  accounts  they 
are  doing  well,  and  are  on  the  road  to  future  civiliza- 
tion, already  having  that  most  coveted  by  the  human 
family — wealth. 

Before  bringing  your  mma  back  to  the  year  1541, 
will  you  allow  further  digression  so  as  to  give  a  pro- 
per conception  of  the  enterprise  of  this  tribe?  AU 
are  familiar  with  the  defeat  of  the  British  general, 
Braddock,  who  was  such  a  smart  alec  that  he  would 
not  take  the  advice  of  Washington,  but  allowed  him- 
self to  be  ambushed  by  the  Indians,  who  were  help- 
ing the  French.  *  While  a  gentleman  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  18th  century  was  sojourning  with  the 
Osages,  one  of  the  chiefs  informed  him  that  he,  with 
other  Osages,  helped  the  French,  and  that  he  was 
present  near  Rttsburg,  Pennsylvania,  in  1775,  at  the 


OSAGES  IN   THE  CIVIL   WAR  341 

battle  when  the  French  and  Indians  defeated  Brad- 
dock.  Just  contemplate  the  nerve  of  a  native  Kansan 
to  travel  all  that  way.  Again,  at  the  breaking  out  of 
the  last  Civil  War  in  1861,  a  regiment  of  Osages  as- 
sisted the  United  States  faithfully  to  the  end.  And 
finally,  here  is  an  incident  which  is  not  usually 
printed  in  histories,  and  is  taken  from  an  address  de- 
livered before  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society  by 
W.  L.  Bartles,  v/ho  was  a  member  of  the  9th  Kansas 
Cavalry,  who  vouches  for  the  truth  of  the  following 
narrative: 

"Scouting  was  the  main  duty  devolving  upon  the 
garrison  at  Humboldt,  Allen  county,  Kansas.  One 
afternoon  just  after  dinner,  two  Indians  rode  up  to 
the  camp  in  the  public  square  and  reported  to  Cap- 
tain Doudna  that  their  band  had  had  a  fight  with  some 
white  men  and  that  the  white  men  were  all  dead.  The 
captain  hastened  to  the  Osage  camp.  It  must  be 
borne  in  mind  that  at  this  time  the  identity  of  the 
<lead  men  were  unknown.  They  might  be  a  strong 
scouting  party  of  our  own  or  the  enemy,  etc.  On  a 
rise  near  the  bivouac  were  the  bodies  of  two  warriors 
slain  in  the  light;  painted  arid  bedecked  for  the  lon^ 
journey  to  the  happy  hunting  ground,  they  had  been 
placed  in  a  sitting  posture,  with  their  backs  to  a  tree. 
In  front  of  each  warrior  was  a  squaw  sitting  flat  upon 
the  ground,  her  hair  hanging  over  her  face,  and  at  in- 
tervals her  low  mournful  cries  were  soul  rending. 
The  Indians  were  exceedingly  anxious  as  to  the  out- 
come of  the  investigation.  Next  morning,  escorted 
by  10  )  mounted  IndianSi  we  rode  out  to  the  scene  of 
the  fiisfc  encounter.    Here  it  is  best  to  tell  the  story 


842  OSAGBS  VS.  CX)NFEa3EPvATES. 

a$  gathered  from  the  Indians:  Two  days  before  the 
messengers  arrived  at  Humboldt,  a  small  x^^rty  of  In- 
dians, numbering  eight  or  ten,  had  started  out  from 
Big  Hill  village  to  the  Mission.  When  not  far  frcwm 
their  camp  they  discovered  the  traces  of  a  recently 
abandoned  camp,  and  at  once  took  up  the  trail,  soon 
overtaking  a  mounted  force  of  white  men.  This  party 
numbered  twenty  or  twenty- two  men  and  had  no  wa- 
gons. Eiding  up  to  this  party  the  Indians  inquired 
who  they  were,  and  received  the  reply  that  the  party 
was  a  detachment  of  Union  troops,  and  were  a  part  of 
the  command  stationed  at  Humboldt.  To  this  the  In- 
dians replied  that  they  knew  the  troops  then  at  Hum- 
boldt, and  failed  to  recognize  any  familiar  faces  in 
the  party.  The  Indians  stated  that  the  Government 
held  them  resix)nsible  for  what  occured  in  their 
country,  and  asked  the  party  to  accompany  them  to 
Humboldt  to  be  identified  by  the  commander  of  the 
post.  To  this  the  white  men  would  not  consent.  'Rie 
Indians  then  sought  to  restrain  them,  whereupon  one 
of  the  Indians  was  shot  and  killed.  The  Osages  be- 
ing outnumbered,  dropped  over  on  their  i>onies  and 
were  soon  out  of  range,  and  racing  for  their  villages 
they  aroused  the  camp  with  the  news  of  the  killing  of 
one  of  their  number. 

**This  village  must  have  numbered  over  200  fight- 
ing men,  and  the  entire  force  turned  out  in  pursuit; 
the  little  party  of  whites  were  hemmed  in  on  aU  sides 
by  the  circle  of  death.  In  the  running  fight  of  five 
miles,  the  Confederates  (for  so  the  whites  proved  to 
be)  had  two  killed  and  left  where  they  fell.  Being 
w^ell  armed  and  in  the  open  they  were  able  to  keep 


WITH   THE  GRAND  OSAGES.  343 

the  Osages  at  some  distance,  and  killed  at  least  one. 
Not  being  acquainted  with  the  country,  they  fought 
valiantly  until  they  reached  the  timber,  but  which 
was  their  undoing,  and  the  Indians  killed  every  man/' 

It  was  afterwards  discovered  that  this  twenty  or 
twenty-two  men  were  all  officers  of  the  Confederate 
army,  who  had  come  into  the  Indian  Territory  to  in- 
duce the  Indians  to  rise  against  the  settlers  of  Kan- 
sas. This  was  learned  from  the  papers  found  upon 
them. 

It  cannot  be  stated  that  our  party  was  now  visit- 
ing the  most  numerous  tribes,  for  the  Pawnees  and 
the  Confederates  were  more  numerous,  but  the  lodges 
of  the  Osages  were  more  permanent  than  either  of 
the  other  two  tribes  visited,  as  the  early  authorities 
say  that  some  of  their  lodges  were  100  feet  long  and 
had  an  upper  story;  and  the  fact  of  their  being  so 
long  permanently  located  at  the  place  where  they 
were  first  seen,  would  indicate  the  stability  of  the 
village. 

The  Spaniard.3  miss  Ysopete,  for  they  are  unable 
to  properly  converse  with  these  natives,  and  had  it 
not  been  for  Alonso  and  Monte,  hardly  a  word  could 
have  been  understood,  but  owing  to  the  close  friend- 
ship and  many  months  companionship  of  the  three, 
both  Alonso  and  Monte  had  acquired  quite  a  smatter- 
ing of  the  dialect,  and  between  the  two  both  sides 
were  able  to  comprehend  the  principal  desires  of  each 
other. 

As  you  know,  our  party  is  now  visiting  the  Grand 
or  Great  Osages,  the  Little  Osages  in  1541  bein^  situ- 
ated along  the  Missouri  river;  and  so  the  term  or  der- 


844  ORIGIN  OF  OSAGE  TRIBES'  NAMES. 

ivation  of  ttiese  two  opposite  names  may  be  under- 
stood. It  is  said  that  one  came  about  under  the  fol- 
lowing circumstances: 

When  the  Spanish  and  Frencn  traders  first  came 
among  these  people,  they  did  not  understand  the 
language  of  the  Osages,  and  when  the  Indians  tried 
to  name  the  different  bands  it  had  to  be  done  by 
signs,  and  the  tribe  which  lived  quite  a  way  up  the 
Osage  river  was  designated  by  pointing  toward  the 
location  and  holding  upthohand  above  the  head  to 
indicate  high  up  the  river,  or  on  high  ground  oi* 
"Campers  on  the  Mountain,"  whereas  on  the  other 
hand,  those  situated  along  the  Missouri  river  were 
indicated  as  located  in  the  lowlands,  or  ** Campers  on 
the  Lowland,"  by  the  hand  being  raised  a  short  dis- 
tance above  the  ground,  and  the  traders  conceived 
the  idea  that  it  meant  that  the  tribe  up  the  Osage 
were  great  or  tall,  and  the  others  low  or  little  in  stat- 
ure. Another  version  is  that  the  branch  on  the  Osage 
were  more  numerous  than  these  along  the  Missouri, 
and  were  called  **Great"  or  ** Grand"  to  express  their 
superiority  numerically. 

While  it  may  not  be  as  intertaining  to  the  reader, 
yet  surely  it  is  more  profitable  to  learn  of  the  man- 
ners, customs  and  government  of  these  Indians,  than 
it  would  be  to  have  a  lot  of  imaginary  things  told  you. 
So  while  our  party  is  encamped  with  these  Indians, 
our  discussion  of  them  will  be  diversified  by  omitting 
the  sports,  but  which,  however,  is  unadulterated  fic- 
tion; and,  again,  since  after  the  description  of  the 
three  Buffalo  Bill  exhibitions,  given  the  Kansas  at 
Manhattan,  the  Pawnees  in  Nebraska,  then  the  Kan- 


THE  OSAGES'  GOVERNMENT.  345 

sas  again  near  Atchison,  it  is  presumea  you  are  sur- 
feited with  the  show  business,  and  are  willing  to  per- 
use a  few  pages  of  solid  stuff.  But  although  the  fol 
lowing  is  extant  history  culled  from  the  books  as  the 
"tid-bits*' of  facts,  yet  ib  is  fervently  hoped  that  it 
will  be  pleasing  to  the  reader,  and  better  still,  prof- 
itable. The  authorities  for  the  various  assertions  will 
not  in  all  cases  be  given,  nor  will  quotation  marks  be 
used,  but  you  may  rest  assured  the  sentiments  can 
be  found  in  the  books. 

The  tribal  government  of  the  Osages  was  com- 
posed of  one  principal  chief  and  several  lesser  ones;  the 
head  chief  was  the  one  indeed,  as  long  as  he  held  that 
position;  the  lesser  chiefs  were  his  advisers,  but  had 
very  little  authority  except  as  leaders  of  war  parties, 
for  they  were  selected  from  those  who  displayed  the 
qualities  of  leaders.  When  a  matter  in  which  the 
tribe  was  interested  came  up,  a  council  of  all  the  war- 
riors was  held  and  decided  by  majority  vote.  Tliere 
were  no  laws,  but  if  an  Indian  did  a  wrong  deed  there 
was  a  code  of  honor  among  them,  which  in  many  re- 
gards was  more  effective  than  are  the  courts  at  the 
present  day.  God's  natural  law  prevailed  very 
strongly  among  them,  for  a  warrior  knew  absolutely 
that  if  he  was  fearless  and  brave  in  battle,  he  would 
be  rewarded  by  promotion,  and  noble  acts  of  gener- 
osity and  self  abstinence  for  the  benefit  of  others  was 
lauded  and  rewarded  just  as  much  as  they  are  now. 

The  members  of  the  tribe  were  sticklers  as  to 
classes;  in  fact,  the  line  was  drawn  quite  closely;  of 
course  not  so  much  as  is  done  in  India,  but  along  the 
same  line.    You  will  be  rewarded  for  ten  minutes' 


846  CASTE  AMONG  OSAGBS. 

time  devoted  to  reading?  ihe  subject  '*C^ste"  in  any 
encyclopedia,  for  it  demonstrates  even  as  early  as 
900  B.  C.  how  the  ruling  classes  so  manipulated  the 
law,  **Servants,  obey  your  masters;"  for  at  that  early 
day,  a  book  called  the  **Laws  of  Manu''  was  compiled, 
ostensibly  for  the  purpose  of  teaching  the  Brahma 
religion,  but  it  would  seem  largely  to  have  been  com- 
piled in  the  interest  of  three  classes  of  persons:  1st, 
the  Clergy;  2nd,  the  Military;  3rd,  the  Merchants, 
and  the  fourth  caste  was  designated  the  '^Servile'' 
class,  and  had  no  rights  whatever  w'  -h  the  three 
others  were  bound  to  respect.  To  those  who  are  dis- 
posed to  skepticism:  Just  reason  for  a  moment  and 
compare  what  Christ  said  of  God's  children,  and  how 
He  championed  the  cause  of  the  lowly  and  humble, 
then  ask  yourself  if  His  Religion  is  not  a  great  im- 
provement over  that  of  Brahma?  But  beware  of  per- 
mitting any  religious  sect  to  dominate  our  Govern- 
ment, for  just  as  surely  as  that  happens,  history  will 
repeat  itself  and  bring  about  a  subtle  influence  which 
would  squelch  that  feeling  now  in  the  breast  of  every 
American,  that  he  is  the  equal  of  the  President  of  our 
country.  And  why  not?  If  you  have  had  the  exper- 
ience of  brushing  up  against  men  who  are  supposed 
to  be  great  because  of  money,  or  position,  you  will  in 
many  instances  discover  that  they  lack  considerable 
of  being  great  in  the  true  sense  of  the  word.  So  let 
there  be  no  caste  promulgated  in  our  free  country, 
and  whenever  you  find  men  or  women  arrogating  to 
themselves  the  foolish  opinion  that  they  are  superior 
and  that  others  should  bow  down  to  them,  just  ignore 
such  people,  and  never  choose  them  for  places  of 


HUNTING  AND  WAR  THEIR  PASTIMK.        347 

hcnbrr  Such  a  cotirse  would  teach  the  lesson  practi- 
callj,  that  it  is  manhood  and  womanhood  which 
count.    .         ^ 

Among:  our  Indians,  there  were  three  classes: 
the  warriors,  hunters  and  cooks,  and  the  medicine 
men  or  priests.  The  doctors  combined  with  their 
profession  religion,  so  as  to  awe  the  Indian,  and  were 
composed  of  the  men  who  had  snap  enough  to  study, 
which  means  to  work,  for  knowledge  is  acquired  only 
by  persistent  industry.  The  medicine  men  of  the 
average  tribe  were  just  as  keen  for  wealth  as  are  the 
professional  men  of  today,  and  when  they  treated 
persons  who  had  any  personal  property,  they  were 
made  to  pay  well.  So  these  priests  or  medicine  men 
were  usually  the  wealthy  citizens  of  the  tribe. 

It  can  be  more  truthfully  said  of  the  Osage  Indi- 
ans than  the  average  tribe,  that  war  and  hunting  was 
their  employment  and  pleasure.  The  male  did  no 
manual  labor  so  long  as  he  was  considered  a  warrior, 
but  the  women  were  the  slaves  and  drudges.  To  an 
Indian  it  was  considered  the  height  of  heroism  to  kill 
an  enemy  at  close  quarters  with  a  tomahawk,  and  al- 
though in  early  times  the  Osages  may  not  have 
scalped,  yet  it  became  their  habit  and  craze,  for  by  it 
they  were  able  to  give  an  ocular  demonstration  to  a 
**doubting  Thomas."  All  the  books  agree  that  when 
an  Indian  believed  himself  to  have  been  wronged,  it 
was  heaven  upon  earth  for  him  to  revenge  the  act.  It 
may  seem  disgraceful  (and  it  is),  but  to  the  Indian  it 
was  not  considered  cowardly  to  kill  the  women, 
children  and  old  men  during  the  absence  of  the  war- 
riors from  the  village,  so  no  doubt  this  is  the  excuse 


848  VIRTUOUS  INDIAN   MAIDENS. 

for  the  Kansas  and  Osages  going  to  a  Pawnee  village 
early  in  1840  and  killing  about  ninety  women  and 
children  and  taking  a  lot  of  prisoners;  and  this  was 
done  while  the  men  were  absent  from  home. 

These  Indians  had  many  strange  customs.  For 
instance,  James  Adair,  who  was  a  trader  for  forty 
years,  and  as  early  as  1744,  says  that  for  three  days 
before  going  to  war,  and  while  on  the  war  path,  the 
warriors  would  not  cohabit;  and  among  the  Osages 
and  Kansas  it  was  the  custom  to  fast  before  going  to 
battle,  but  to  feast  to  gluttonous  success  if  victorious. 
The  Osages  and  Kansas  both  put  holes  in  their  ears, 
and  a  photograph  of  a  young  Osage  taken  recently 
shows  large  ear  rings;  and  a  group  of  Kansans  taken 
many  years  ago  also  shows  the  same.  So  no  doubt  it 
was  the  custom  to  pierce  the  ears  from  early  times, 
although  nothing  of  this  is  spoken  of  by  the  Coro- 
nado  party.  George  Catlin  says  that  it  was  the  cus- 
tom of  the  Indians  to  eat  horse  flesh  when  the  buffalo 
was  scarce.  The  diary  kept  by  the  Long  Expedition 
recites  another  custom:  ''The  chastity  of  the 
young  females  among  the  Kansas  and  Osages  is 
guarded  by  the  mother  with  the  most  scrupulous 
watchfulness,  and  the  violation  is  of  rare  occurrence." 

But  our  stay  with  the  Great  Osages  must  be 
drawn  to  a  close,  but  the  story  of  the  chief  of  this 
branch  of  the  Osages  and  the  stirring  events  of  his 
elevation  has  to  be  told.  When  Wasbashas  was  first 
seen  in  1541,  he  was  in  the  very  prime  of  life,  being 
about  forty-five  years  of  age;  he  had  been  chief  for 
about  ten  years,  and  was  easily  the  finest  looking 
specimen  of  native  manhood  that  the  Spaniards  had 


A  GREAT  CHIEF.  349  /^ 

seen;  they  had  frequently  come  across  larger  men^ 
but  for  grace  of  bearing,  intelligence  beaming  from 
his  countenance,  and  more  than  any  thing  there  was 
something  about  his  manner  which  seemed  without 
wtH'ds  to  convey  the  conviction  of  his  nobility;  and  so 
it  was,  for  from  birth  it  seemed  as  though  there  was 
a  spirit  of  innate  inborn  knowledge  of  what  was  by  the 
natural  laws  proper  and  just,  so  as  the  baby  grew  in- 
to boyhood  and  advanced  to  youth,  the  best  men  of 
the  tribe  could  not  help  but  notice  him,  and  this  no« 
tice  was  compelled  by  reason  of  other  children  going 
home  and  reciting  what  young  Wasbashas  had  done. 
These  little  incidents  of  childhood  play  were  invaria- 
bly of  such  a  character  as  to  stamp  the  boy  with  ex- 
alted conception  of  right  from  wrong.  He  would  take 
the  part  of  the  weak  boy  against  the  bully.  (They 
had  them  then  as  now.)  Several  times  in  his  young 
boyhood  days,. he  had  demonstrated  the  activity  of 
his  brain,  and  how  resourceful  he  was,  by  saving  the 
lives  of  other  boys  who  had  ventured  on  the  Osage 
river  before  the  ice  was  sufficiently  thick  to  bear 
their  weight,  and  had  it  not  been  for  his  extraordi- 
nary quickness  of  thought,  several  would  have  been 
drowned,  but  just  as  quickly  as  he  saw  what  had  oc- 
curred, like  a  flash  he  ran  to  a  climbing  grape  vine, 
trailing  up  a  tree  in  the  timber,  and  jerking  it  loose, 
quickly  had  an  appliance  equal  to  a  rope,  by  which 
means  he  was  able  to  rescue  the  lads,  for  which  he 
received  their  lasting  gratitude,  as  well  as  their  par- 
ents'. At  one  time,  when  about  fifteen  years  old,  he 
and  other  boys  were  out  hunting  with  their  bows  and 
arrows;  it  was  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  and  they  were 


350  A  PRAIRIE   HUE. 

many  miles  from  home,  when  all  at  once  it  was  ob- 
•eryed  that  the  wind  had  changed.  A  prairie  fire 
was  next  objerved,  which  caused  the  game  to  come 
toward  them  and  away  from  the  fire;  but  in  a  twink- 
ling the  wind  veered  (it  does  so  on  the  prairie)  and 
blew  a  hurricane,  the  speed  of  the  wind  being  at  least 
fifty  miles  an  hour.  The  boys  were  of  course  in  the 
low-lying  land  as  that  is  the  place  where  game 
almost  always  stay,  but  the  grass  was  often  higher 
ttian  the  boys  themselves,  and  had  they  been  caughb 
by  the  fire  in  such  a  place,  it  would  have  burned  their 
naked  bodies  to  a  crisp  turn.  But  young  Wasbashas 
was  equal  to  the  occasion,  and  was  the  first  to  call  his 
companions'  attention  to  their  peril,  and  at  his  sug- 
gestion, he  running  ahead,  they  made  for  a  high  point 
at  least  three  miles  distant,  and  by  reason  of  his 
pluck  and  staying  qualities,  he  kept  admonishing  the 
boys  to  hang  on  to  their  game,  which  however  made 
it  rather  hard  to  continue  the  pace,  but  finding  some 
of  the  boys  not  equal  to  the  strain,  he  ran  back  and 
took  the  most  backward  by  the  hand  and  helped  him 
along,  and  thus  encouraged  the  stronger  of  the  party 
to  do  likewise  with  other  weaker  ones.  But  the  fire 
is  gaining  on  them,  and  finding  they  cannot  reach  the 
point  for  which  he  is  making,  all  at  once,  observing 
that  they  are  passing  over  a  spot  where  the  grass  is 
shorter,  he  concludes  to  stop,  which  no  sooner  done, 
than  by  example  he  starts  pulling  with  his  hands  the 
long  grass.  This  is  enough  speech  for  the  taciturn 
young  Indians,  who  are  completely  fagged,  but  who 
desperately  pull  bunches  of  grass  and  toss  it  in  the 
direction  indicated  by  their  boy  leader.     But   the 


AN  OSAGE  BOY  HERO  851 

awiul  flames  are  leaping  with  fearful  rapidity  toward 
them;  although  he  has  not  succeeded  in  pulling  as 
much  grass  as  he  would  like,  yet  he  now,  desperately 
in  earnest,  takes  up  the  little  ten-year  old  boy  and 
lays  him  in  the  cleared  space  and  orders  the  others 
to  lay  as  close  as  possible  by  his  side  until  all  are  in  a 
heap  with  their  feet  toward  the  fire,  and  they  are  ly- 
ing on  their  faces  three  thick;  and  to  cap  the  climax, 
this  young  leader,  after  all  are  down,  takes  the  rab- 
bits, quail  and  prairie  chicken  which  they  have  killed 
and  puts  them  at  the  feet  of  the  prostrate  forms,  and 
their  quiver  holders  are  also  used  to  protect  them; 
but  now  he  is  compelled  to  take  care  of  himself,  and 
like  a  hero  he  throws  his  body  at  right  angles  across 
the  legs  of  the  prostrate  heap;  and  just  then,  with  a 
mighty  leap  the  fire  passes  the  boys.  Our  young  In- 
dian's hair  was  on  fire  and  his  body  singed,  but 
the  other  boys  soon  smothered  the  fire  in  his  hair 
and  rubbed  him  all  over  with  rabbit  fat  to  counter- 
act the  burns. 

This  episode  of  saving  about  tweiity  boys  caused 
quite  a  flurry,  and  he  being  the  only  one  injured, 
which  showed  the  plight  the  boys  were  in.  Of 
course  to  a  plainsman  this  yarn  will  be  laughed  at, 
and  if  the  boys  could  have  started  a  fire  there  would 
have  been  no  fuss.  But  the  party  had  no  matches 
those  days  and  it  was  not  as  easy  to  get  a  light  then 
as  now.  A  resident  of  the  prairie  knows  how  easy  it 
is  to  protect  one's  self  when  a  prairie  fire  is  coming 
toward  you,  which  is,  to  set  fire  to  the  grass  and  let 
the  v/ind  take  it  from  you;  then  the  burnt  space  can 
be  gotten  into  so  as  to  keep  from  being  burned  by  the 
on-coming  fiames. 


THE  CHIEF'S  HISTORY. 

It  was  when  Wasbashas  had  passed  his  eigh- 
teenth year  that  he  had  the  following  experience:  He 
and  three  other  boys  had  constructed  a  nice  canoe, 
with  the  idea  of  going  down  the  Osage  river  to  its 
mouth,  then  up  the  Missouri  to  visit  the  Little  Osages 
then  located  on  that  stream.  This  was  not  considered 
much  of  a  journey,  and  so  was  easily  accomplished. 
But  on  their  return  home,  soon  after  entering  the 
mouth  of  the  Osage  river,  while  hugging  the  bank  as 
closely  as  possible  to  keep  out  of  the  swift  current,  all 
at  onc^  a  flight  of  arrows  came  at  them,  and  so  sud- 
den and  unexpected  is  the  attack  that  the  boys  are 
taken  completely  by  surprise,  and  two  of  thoin  drop 
their  paddles  and  sink  down  in  the  canoe.  Bau  our 
young  brave  hero  has  escaped  injury  as  well  as  the 
other  young  man,  who  is  at  least  two  years  older. 
And  again  young  Wasbashas'  quick  perceptive  facul- 
ties stand  him  in  hand,  for  like  a  flash  he  instinctively 
recdizes  that  it  is  a  sneaking  party  of  Padoucas,  who 
are  in  hiding  to  kill  some  of  his  people,  and  before  the 
assailants  had  time  to  rush  into  the  water  and  seize 
hold  of  his  canoe  he  called  to  his  companion  to  kneel 
down  and  paddle  for  dear  life.  Several  missiles  again 
pierced  the  skin  of  the  frail  craft,  which  has  several 
arrows  sticking  through  and  four  below  the  water 
line,  thus  causing  quite  a  leak.  But  the  boat  is  now 
in  the  current,  and  getting  out  of  range;  but  by  intu- 
ition the  Padoucas  realize  that  if  they  could  follow,  it 
would  only  be  a  question  of  time  when  the  canoe 
would  fill  with  water;  so  four  Indians  strike  out  to 
follow  the  craft,  which  is  now  fairly  in  the  middle  of 
the  stream.    The  situation  is  critical,  not  on  account 


A  FIGHT   ON  THE   WATERSv  353     1 

of  the  pursuers,  but  the  bark  or  '*skin/*  (for  instead 
of  being  made  of  birch  bark  it  is  covered  with  buffalo 
skin,  so  why  not  say  the  *'skin"  is  takincr  water);  but 
again  the  mother-wit  of  our  young  Indian  serves  him, 
as  he  has  observed  that  three  of  the  punctures  where 
the  water  is  oozing  through  can  be  stopped  by  placing 
their  feet  over  them,  one  of  the  prostrate  forms  cov- 
ers the  fourth  hole,  and  observing  one  is  conscious, 
his  hand  is  taken  and  placed  over  a  leak,  which  he 
comprehends  fully,  and  unnecessarily  hard  does  the 
wounded  man  press  the  place  as  if  he  fully  realized 
the  danger,  and  more  than  that,  for  without  a  word 
he  reaches  for  the  bows  and  quivers,  which  belong 
to  Wasbashas  and  his  friend,  and  thus  keeps  them 
from  getting  wet,  for  he,  although  dazed,  in  his  plight 
had  confidence  that  the  young  men  were  the  most 
likely  to  do  the  proper  thing.  And  while  this  was 
taking  place,  the  situation  was  sized  up  and  the 
young  leader  made  up  his  mind  as  to  the  course  to 
pursue,  so  he  whispered  to  his  fellow  paddler  to  ease 
up  so  the  swimmers  could  get  closer,  but  not  to  stop 
propelling  the  boat.  When  the  two  foremost  pur- 
suers get  pretty  close,  at  a  given  signal  the  bows  and 
arrows  are  taken  up,  having  been  handed  to  them  by 
the  wounded  youth,  our  leader  telling  his  companion 
to  aim  at  the  nearer  ones  and  he  would  the  next;  so 
like  a  flash  the  arrows  sped,  to  both  lodge  in  the  bod- 
ies of  the  foremost,  then  as  swift  as  a  breach-loading 
rifle  flew  arrows  at  the  other  two,  in  fact  all  of  them, 
and  one  or  two  of  the  pursuers  hardly  had  i)ower 
enough  to  give  their  death  yell,  so  it  was  plain  to  be 
seen  that  they  were  done  for.  And  now  there  were  six 


854  INDIAN   MEDICAL   TREATS SNT. 

Indians  running  along  the  bank  afraid  to  shout  as  it 
might  bring  help,  but  they  were  in  the  open;  so  our 
little  pleasure  party  (that  was,  but  now  a  war  party) 
know  what  they  have  to  contend  with.  One  thought 
was  uppermost  in  young  Wasbasha's  mind,  and  taat 
was  the  necessity  of  procuring  a  trophy  to  display  to 
his  people,  so  he  conceives  the  idea  of  trying  to  grab 
the  drowning  men  as  they  come  up  in  the  last  throos 
of  death.  This  he  does,  but  only  succeeds  in  clutch- 
ing from  one's  neck  a  something,  from  another  he 
tears  a  handful  of  hair,  and  his  partner  succeeds  in 
grasping  the  third  man  and  cutting  off  an  ear;  the 
fourth  man  is  lost  forever. 

By  this  time  it  is  discovered  that  one  of  the  par- 
ty is  dead,  the  other  is  so  badly  wounded  in  the  thigh 
and  arm  that  it  is  impossible  for  him  to  walk;  and 
knowing  that  the  Padoucas  sometimes  used  poisoned 
arrows,  it  is  now  resolved  to  get  to  shore  on  the  oppo- 
site side  and  care  for  the  wounds  of  their  comrade, 
and  th^s  is  soon  done;  the  first  thing  is  to  get  some 
clean  mud  from  the  river  and  plaster  the  wounds  and 
bind  them  with  the  clout  of  the  dead  man,  who  is  hid 
in  some  bushes  until  such  time  as  thej'^  can  return 
and  bury  him  according  to  Indian  custom. 

The  two  young  men  hurriedly  hold  a  council  as 
to  the  best  thing  to  do,  and  without  hesitancy  they 
agree  that  they  had  better  plug  up  the  canoe  the  best 
possible  way  with  something  and  proceed  to  return  to 
the  Little  Osage  village  in  order  that  their  wounded 
companion  could  have  care,  and  to  get  a  party  to  run 
down  the  six  remaining  Indians.  So  the  canoe  is  re- 
paired, and  the  wounded  young  Indian  is  carefully 


THE  PADOUCA3.  '  355 

laid  at  the  bottom  of  it,  and  they  again  emoarn:,  all  of 
which  is  observed  by  the  six  Padoucas. 

Prom  the  mouth  of  the  Osags  river  to  the  village 
of  the  Little  Osages,  which  was  located  where  Malta 
Bend,  Saline  county,  Missouri,  now  stands,  was  at 
least  100  miles  by  land  and  150  by  river,  and  owin^  to 
having  to  go  against  the  stream  it  would  require  at 
least  three  days  to  make  the  journey.  But  nothing 
else  could  be  done  as  there  were  no  settlements 
where  the  injured  young  fellow  could  be  left,  so  the 
hope  of  the  voyagers  was  that  they  might  meet  a 
hunting  party  from  the  Little  Osage  village. 

The  Padoucas  followed  the  canoe,  they  beln:]^  on 
the  south  side  of  the  river,  and  after  the  loss  of  four 
men  by  drowning,  were  not  inclined  to  resort  to  a 
like  procedure,  and  in  fact,  it  would  be  foolish  to  do 
so.  But  while  paddling  up  the  stream,  young  Was- 
bashas  could  not  help  getting  into  the  Indian  way  oi 
thinking  of  his  exploit  in  killing  an  enemy  of  his 
tribe,  and  he  now  felt  that  it  would  be  proper  to  act 
like  a  man,  so  his  brain  was  in  a  whirl  how  he  could 
do  something  to  compel  his  being  permitted  to  rank 
as  a  warrior,  and  he  formulated  a  plan:  So  coming  to 
the  mouth  of  a  creek  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  he 
takes  the  boat  up  the  creek  to  get  out  of  sight,  and 
the  sick  youth  is  comfortably  located,  then  the  plan  is 
divulged  to  the  prostrate  Indian,  to  which  he  assents; 
the  canoe  is  then  emptied  of  everything  and  carried  by 
the  two  Indians  up  the  stream,  but  back  in  the  timber 
so  the  watchful  enemy  could  not  observe,  and  when 
around  a  bend  in  the  river  out  of  sight  the  canoe  is 
launched  and  Wasbashas  is  taken  to  the  south  shore 


356  WASBASHAS'   AMBITION 

of  the  Missouri  river,  and  after  arranging  for  the  re- 
turn of  the  canoe  and  signals,  in  case  it  is  neces- 
sary, the  young  brave  is  left  alone,  the  other  re- 
turning to  care  for  the  sick,  hiding  the  canoe  in  the 
bnshes. 

'  The  great  longing  of  our  young  man  was  to  be 
able  to  say  he  had  killed  a  Padouca;  not  with  an  ar- 
row, but  in  close  combat.  That  would  brand  him  as 
a  brave  in  every  sense  of  the  Indian  meaning.  Pre- 
suming on  the  fact  that  the  enemy  will  nob  have  the 
slightest  thought  of  his  coming  across  the  wide  river  > 
he  hopes  to  meet  one  far  enough  away  from  the  oth- 
ers so  he  can  make  a  personal  attack  and  procure  a 
trophy.  But  he  takes  no  chances  in  leaving  tracks,  for 
he  knows  how  keen  are  all  Indians  in  finding  traces 
of  the  enemy  by  trails  left,  thus  when  he  got  out  of  the 
canoe,  it  was  several  feet  from  the  shore,  so  no  mark 
would  be  left  of  his  feet;  and  instead  of  springing 
ashore  as  would  seem  natural,  he  knelt  down  and 
crawled  on  his  knees,  being  careful  to  keep  his  toes 
from  touching  the  sand  and  mud  of  the  bank.  And 
now  he  feels  his  responsibility,  realizing  the  necessity 
of  resorting  to  every  method  he  has  been  schooled  in 
to  keep  from  being  seen;  he  glides  stealthily  from 
tree  to  tree,  down  the  river  toward  the  place  where 
he  is  sure  the  party  is  located,  as  they  naturally  think 
the  canoe  has  entered  the  creek  only  to  care  for  the 
sick  Indian.  Now  he  observes  that  the  game  appear 
restless,  and  the  birds  act  in  a  manner  which  he 
knows  means  something,  but  to  the  uninitiated  would 
be  meaningless;  then  a  wolf  barks,  and  an  owl  hoots, 
so  he  is  more  than  sure  he  is  near  the  enemy,  as  from 


INDIAN   TACTICS.  357 

olDservation  he  knows  these  animals  and  birds  are 
more  keen  of  sight  or  sense  of  hearing  than  are  hu- 
man beings.  But  now  every  ear  is  strained  to  listen 
to  the  approach  of  the  enemy  and  he  is  sure  of  their 
direction  by  the  course  the  animals  are)  taking;  his 
body  is  carefully  concealed  behind  the  large  cotton- 
woods,  elms  and  sycamores  which  grew  along  the 
river,  and  now  in  the  far  distance  he  catches  a 
glimpse  of  the  party,  and  with  the  agility  of  an  Indi- 
an, he  hides  himself  in  a  fork  in  the  dense  foliage, 
watching  the  party,  but  after  careful  counting 
he  finds  there  are  only  five,  and  the  question  then 
is,  what  has  become  of  the  other?  But  it  does  not 
take  him  long  to  figure  out  the  probability  of  the 
one  being  left  to  watch  the  movements  of  the  canoe 
in  case  it  should  emerge  from  the  creek,  so  his  heart 
throbs  with  excitement,  for  here  perhaps  is  the  oppor- 
tunity sought.  As  soon  as  the  party  is  far  enough 
away  he  descends  and  has  no  difficulty  in  following' 
the  trail  left  by  a  passing  enemy,  but  he  now  realiiseS' 
the  danger,  therefore  he  resorts  to  every  conceivable 
art  to  guard  against  giving  the  one  man  warning  of 
his  approach.  All  is  still  and  the  young  fellow  be- 
gins to  doubt  his  senses  of  seeing  six  along  the  bank; 
but  he  does  not  become  discouraged  or  less  on  the 
alert,  but  concludes  to  climb  a  tree  and  await  devel- 
opments; soon  he  hears  the  bark  of  a  wolf,  or  what 
resembles  the  same,  hut  to  the  trained  ear  of  the 
prairie  it  lacked  an  inexplicable  something,  which  set 
him.^on  the  qui  vive,  and  soon  he  was  certain  of  his 
suspicion  for  it  was  answered  by  the  hoot  of  an  owl; 
and  now  he  resorted  to  real  prairie  tactics,  for  he 


358  SOME   KEEN   INDIAN   TRAITS. 

noiselessly  got  to  the  ground  and  then  oegan  a  re- 
markable exhibition  of  Indian  subtlety,  for  it  seemed 
that  the  slightest  point  was  considered  before  pro- 
ceeding. But  all  at  once  a  gentle  breeze  brought  to 
his  sensitive  and  acute  nostrils  a  slight  odor  which  at 
once  assured  him  of  his  being  in  the  locality  where 
*ihe  party  had  eaten  game,  for  he  could  discern  the 
smell  of  the  offal.  Right  here  it  might  be  well  to 
comment  upon  Indian  traits,  especially  the  faculty 
they  had  of  observing  things  which  others  would 
pass  unnoticed. 

i  You  have  frequently  been  entertained  by  writers 
relative  to  the  astuteness  of  the  Red  Men  in  tracking 
by  foot-prints,  broken  twigs,  a  thread  or  fluff  left  on 
a  bush,  but  let  it  here  be  remarked  that  on  the  open 
prairie  this  class  of  work  would  not  answer,  for  the 
shoe  or  foot  prints  upon  the  parched  prairies  would 
give  no  clue,  so  the  plains  Indians  had  to  cultivate  the 
eyesight  which  is  admitted  were  much  quicker  and 
could  discern  objects  a  greater  distance  than  the 
whites.  But  their  sense  of  smeU  was  exceedingly 
acute;  the  reason  assigned  is  the  fact  that  nature's 
pure  and  unadulterated  breezes  swept  over  the  face 
of  the  country  without  coming  in  contact  with  trees 
of  all  description  which  would  emit  their  aroma,  de- 
naturing God*s  pure  wind.  But  this  is  how  the 
plains  Indian  would  trail: 

By  reason  of  their  being  constantly  outdoors,  na- 
ture transmitted  to  them  certain  traits  unknown  to 
the  dwellers  in  tenements.  It  has  been  said  the 
roamers  of  the  plains  knew  without  seeing  that  a 
herd  of  buffalo  were  in  the  neighborhood,  provided 


THE  FOOOSH  ASS,  (nIT).  859 

the  location  was  so  the  wind  could  wa;^  llie  odor 
arising  from  the  herd  toward  the  Indian.     Hunters 
are  compelled  to  first  study  the  direction  of  the  wind 
when  trying  to  get  within  range  of  most  all  game,  for 
nature  has  endowed  animals  with  such  sensitive  fac- 
ulties for  their  protection  that  a  human  being  will  be 
sniffed  at  quite  a  distance;  and  to  the  person  who  has 
had  the  thrilling  experience  in  viewing  a  pointer  or 
setter  work  on  the  prairie,  it  would  seem  that  the  dog 
has  more  sense  than  a  human  being,  for  when  the 
blooded  canine  stuck  his  tail  out  or  lifted  his  front 
foot,  the  hunter  knew  for  sure  that  a  covy  or  flock 
would  surely  raise;  and  to  follow  the  trail,  hounds 
will  scent  a  cold  track  of  a  wolf  twelve  or  fifteen 
hours  after  the  animal  had  gone  over  the  ground.    It 
seems  marvelous,  but  this  is  of  frequent  occurrence; 
but  more  remarkable  still  is  the  bloodhound,  which 
when  allowed  to  smell  the  spot  where  a  person  last 
stood  a  few  hours  before;  of  course,  if  a  garment 
worn  by  the  person  desired  to  track  can  be  submitted 
to  the  dog  to  smell,  it  will  more  surely  give  the  beast 
the  necessary  silent  information  which  enables  it  to 
follow  the  person  sought.     But  from  observation  it  is 
opined  that  the  province  of  the  bloodhound  is  not  as 
effective  in  following  a  white  man  as  it  was  the  negro 
during  slavery  times;  and  the  reason  is  obvious  be- 
cause of  the  demonstrable  difference  in  the  perspiring 
qualities  of  the  two  races.     To  bear  out  the  proposi- 
tion hereafter  advocated,  attention  is  directed  to  the 
supposed  foolish  ass:  those  who  have  watched  these 
animals  are  cognizant  of  how  they  will  sniff  a  brewing 
storm  in  the  winter  long  before  the  **noblest  work  of 


I 

360  NATURAL  PERFUME. 

Grod''  has  any  thoug^ht  thereof;  and  an  old  aow  will  be 
observed  carrying  bedding,  preparing  for  a  change  in 
the  weather,  long  before  its  owner  is  aware  of  a  com- 
ing storm.  But  begging  pardon  for  putting  into 
print  the  following  veritable  fact,  it  would  be  omitted 
otherwise,  but  it  seems  to  fit  the  theme  in  hand,  and 
because  of  its  rarity,  and  for  its  educational  feature 
are  the  reasons  for  its  recital:  A  man  at  the  age  of 
forty-five  with  a  family  had  received  an  injury  which 
necessitated  his  becoming  a  eunuch,  and  after  regain- 
ing his  health  asserted  that  he  could  not  remain  in 
the  company  of  males,  for  the  reason  that  the  odor 
from  them  smelt  so  bad.  Thus  demonstrating  the 
possibiUties  of  the  sense  of  smell  by  a  white  man  un- 
der certain  conditions. 

Surely  the  following  has  coijie  under  the  obser- 
vation of  the  average  reader:  Have  you  not  followed 
in  the  wake  of  a  man  smoking  a  cigar,  and  when  half 
a  block  away,  plainly  perceive  the  odor  of  the  same? 
And  frequently  perfume  emitted  from  the  person  of 
some  lady,  who  has  gone  before  but  who  is  unseen 
and  unknown,  will  be  so  plainly  perceptible  that  the 
very  brand  of  the  scent  could  be  named?  You  may 
not  care  a  cent  to  be  informed  farther  of  the  stuff 
called  scent,  but  so  few  are  aware  of  what  lead  to  its 
use  that  it  is  contemplated  allowances  will  be  made 
for  bothering  about  mentioning  it.  It  was  observed 
by  the  hunters  of  the  musk-deer,  musk-ox,  musk-rat 
and  musk-duck  many  centuries  ago  that  they  emitted 
a  pleasant,  fragrant  smell,  and  it  was  discovered  that 
the  three  first  named  by  nature  carried  a  smelling 
bottle  filled  with  a  substance  which  gave  the  air  a 


KEEN  SENSE  OP  SMELl/.  861 

pleasant  savor,  and  because  of  the  fact  that  only  the 
males  have  the  article  attached  to  their  bodies,  the 
theory  is  that  the  same  is  utilized  to  fascinate  the  op- 
posite sex.  The  query  arises:  If  nature  has  brought 
About  such  a  condition  of  thinjsrs,  can  you  blame  the 
type  of  humane  animals  (species  Dude)  for  swobbing 
themselves  v^^ith  the  modern  chemicals  to  attract 
attention  to  their  august  (?)  presence? 

Are  you  convinced  that  dogs  and  other  animals 
are  endowed  with  certain  traits  that  it  is  not  possible 
for  a  human  being  with  his  supposed  superior  intelli- 
gence to  cultivate  his  sense  of  smell?  And  the  fact  is 
here  set  forth  that  the  Middle  States  Indians  were 
capable  of  discerning  objects  by  the  smell  emitted 
therefrom  to  so  fine  a  degree  that  conclusion  would 
be  reached  by  circumstantial  evidence  which  would 
invariably  result  in  actual  knowledge.  For  ex- 
ample: suppose  a  party  of  plains  Indians  was  seeking 
to  discover  their  enemy;  now  all  men  must  eat  and 
these  people  existed  exclusively  by  the  chase^  and  it 
is  proverbial  that  they  were  great  eaters,  and  princi 
paUy  meat,  so  they  killed  game;  the  average  Indian 
could  smell  decaying  flesh  several  miles,  and  would 
know  at  once  that  the  hand  of  man  had  been  the 
cause  of  the  death,  so  for  several  miles  around  tliey 
were  able  to  discover  the  presence  of  the  hunters; 
of  coarse  they  would  frequently  be  on  the  wrong 
scent,  but  they  were  proficient  in  the  manner  of  dis- 
covering the  death  of  an  animal  by  other  causes  than 
that  of  the  hand  of  man.  But  of  all  the  things  which 
the  plains5  Indians  were  astute  at,  was  their  sense  of 
hearing,  for  they  were  able  to  discern  sound  three 


362       WASBASHAB  REALIZES  HIS  AMl^ITION. 

times  the  distance  of  the  average  white  man. 

But  returning  to  the  story  of  Wasbashas.  He 
has  at  last  located  his  man,  and  now  the  question  is 
how  to  take  his  life  and  not  get  killed  himself. 
And  again,  he  wishes  to  size  up,  as  it  were,  his  oppo- 
nent, who  he  soon  discovers  to  be  a  strapping  big  fel- 
low, and  concludes  he  must  not  take  chances  of  get- 
ting the  worst  of  it.  His  mind  is  now  fully  decided 
how  to  proceed;  he  silently  creeps  to  a  tree 
where  he  resolves  to  act  the  moment  an  opportunity 
affords,  and  it  is  not  long  before  the  Indian  who  has 
been  reclining  on  the  ground  gets  up.  But  the  in- 
stant his  face  is  in  the  proper  position,  whiz!  goes  the 
arrow  from  behind  the  tree,  passing  through  both 
cheeks  which  was  so  planned  that  he  could  not  cry 
out  and  alarm  the  others;  then  the  Osage  custom  of 
cutting  the  jugular  vein  was  quickly  accomplished, 
and  in  a  moment  the  tattooed  rattlesnake  on  the  dying 
man*s  breast  was  taken  off  with  the  small  flint  knife; 
and  away  went  the  young  man  carrying  everything 
with  him  found  with  the  enemy,  and  especially  his 
bow  and  arrows,  which  were  to  be  kept  as  souvenirs. 
He  had  thought  out  beforehand  what  course  he  would 
pursue,  so  hiding  every  article  except  the  trophy  of 
trophies,  which  was  the  skin  with  the  picture  of  the 
coiled  rattler  tattooed  thereon  and  which  he  concluded 
to  only  part  with  at  death,  he  runs  down  the  bank  of 
the  river  and  in  he  plunges  with  the  human  skin  be- 
tween his  teeth;  and  after  being  carried  down  the 
stream  for  over  a  mile,  he  succeeded  in  reaching  the 
other  side  and  was  soon  with  his  two  friends. 

Like  a  sensible  man  (for  he  is  now  entitled  to 


A  KIND   AND  SENSIBLE  INDIAN.  363 

that  appellation  by  the  rules  of  warfare),  he  has  made 
his  plans  while  making  toward  his  friends  after  get- 
ting to  the  north  side  of  the  Missouri  river.  It  takes 
but  a  short  time  to  find  some  dead  limbs  in  the  tim- 
ber from  which  a  bier  is  constructed,  and  with  grass 
put  on  the  same  it  made  a  comfortable  pallet  upon 
which  the  stricken  man  could  lay  while  being  carried 
to  the  point  on  the  river  where  the  boat  was  hid.  This 
was  done  to  keep  the  enemy  from  knowing  of  their 
removal  so  as  to  have  them  remain  as  long  as  possible 
in  that  neighborhood  for  the  reason  it  was  hoped  they 
would  not  leave  till  a  party  could  be  brought  from  the 
Little  Osage  village.  Soon  after  starting  Wasbashas 
put  to  his  companions  the  advisability  of  having  eith- 
er himself  or  the  other  young  fellow  to  leave  the 
boat  and  go  overland  on  foot  to  the  village;  the 
other  two  acquiesced,  and  it  was  magnanimously  pro- 
posed by  our  young  brave  that  his  friend  could  have 
the  choice  of  making  the  journey  or  staying  in  the 
canoe,  and  he  chose  the  former,  so  it  was  agreed  that 
the  canoe  should  leisurely  make  its  way  up  stream 
until  a  party  was  brought  down  the  river  to  relieve 
them. 

It  is  ninety  miles  overland  and  the  young  fellow 
makes  a  forfeit  with  his  remaining  friend  that  he  will 
have  a  party  in  canoes  meet  them  before  the  evening 
of  the  next  day,  which  means  he  contemplates  doing 
the  ninety  miles  by  the  morning,  thus  running  by 
night;  but  the  one  thing  in  his  favor  is  the  fact  of 
there  being  a  well  defined  trail  all  the  way. 

It  was  slow  work,  one  man  paddling  against  the 
stream,  but  our  young  Indian  concluded  to  take  it 


384  OSAGES  IN  THEIR  GLORY. 

moderately  but  persistently  keeping  on  all  night  aind 
by  the  morning  was  a  good  many  miles  up  the  river. 
But  it  seemed  a  long  time  because  of  the  suffering  of 
the  wounded  man,  who,  Uke  the  Greeks  of  old,  con- 
sidered it  cowardly  to  complain;  so  with  Spartan  for- 
titude he  suffered  with  pain  and  fever,  but  his  face 
denoted  the  awful  ordeal  he  was  going  through,  and 
all  that  could  be  done  was  to  keep  it  cool  with  muddy 
Missouri  river  water,  which,  notwithstanding  its  col- 
or, yet  by  reason  of  its  constant  movement,  every 
particle  of  animal  matter  was  annihilated,  so  it  con- 
tained less  bacteria  than  other  waters  which  were 
clearer;  in  fact  the  mud  and  sand  were  nature's  salve, 
keeping  the  wound  from  starting  blood  poisoning. 

You  ought  to  have  witnessed  the  bustle  early 
next  morning  when  the  young  man  told  his  story,  as 
all  four  boys  had  endeared  themselves  to  the  people 
of  the  village  during  their  recent  visit,  and  to  think  of 
the  audacity  of  the  Padoucas  coming  within  one  hun- 
dred miles  of  their  home!  Tliere  were  at  least  400 
warriors  ready  for  the  chase.  It  was  a  little  excite- 
ment which  gave  felicitous  enjoyment  to  every  son  of 
an  Indian  mother;  so  not  only  were  canoe  parties  got- 
ten ready,  but  squads  of  ten  men  were  directed  to 
take  different  directions  toward  the  most  likely 
places  to  overtake  the  five  nervy  enemies;  a  half-dozen 
of  the  swifted  runners  are  directed  to  take  a  short 
cut  across  country  to  avoid  the  bends  and  to  relieve 
the  solitary  paddler  and  continue  up  stream  until  the 
boats  are  met;  so  about  noon  our  canoe  man  is  very 
much  surprised  to  he£i.r  his  name  called  by  the  run- 
ners who  soon  relieved  him  by  putting  two  of  their 


A  HOT  PURSUIT.  365 

number  at  the  paddles,  and  a  few  hours  afterward 
the  canoes  are  met,  and  transferring  the  sick  man  to 
a  craft,  propelled  by  a  dozen  paddles,  he  arrives  that 
evening  at  the  village  of  the  TAttle  Osages  near  Malta 
Bend. 

On  and  on,  swiftly  sped  the  canoes  with  our  two 
young  men  resting  in  the  bottom,  and  in  a  few  hours 
the  point  where  the  affray  was  enacted  being  reached, 
all  was  verified  regarding  the  enemy.  But  the  ques- 
tion next  arose  as  to  the  best  direction  to  take,  and 
after  considerable  discussion  Wasbashas  insisted 
that  he  would  like  to  go  down  the  river,  as  a  surmise 
was  that  the  party  would  take  a  circuitous  route  to 
get  back  home;  so  he  and  his  friends  are  allowed  to 
make  a  party  of  a  dozen  in  a  fine  large  canoe,  they 
first  hiding  their  own  so  as  to  have  it  on  their 
return.  It  transpired  that  our  young  braves  had 
guessed  right,  for  the  reckless  five  had  no  idea  it  was 
X:)0ssible  for  a  party  to  reach  them  in  so  short  a  time 
and  had  left  unmistakable  signs;  so  the  craft  is 
moored  and  hot  pursuit  is  inaugurated,  for  the  five 
Padoucas  can  only  be  a  few  hours  in  the  lead;  and  at 
last  they  are  overtaken  to  their  horror  and  surprise, 
for  they  had  been  taking  it  quite  leisurely,  and  upon 
seeing  the  advancing  party  the  leader  ordered  every 
man  to  take  care  for  himself.  So  now  a  race  for  dear 
life  took  place.  Wasbashas  and  his  friend  conclud- 
ed to  keep  together,  and  happened  to  select  one  of  the 
ruftners  who  shot  away  from  the  others  at  a  fearful 
rate,  but  owing  to  the  great  strain  of  the  night  before 
in  running  ninety  miles  in  about  twelve  hours,  he 
soon  was  left  behind;  but  our  young  Osage  brave  has 


866  A  RACE  FOR  LIFE. 

his  blood  up,  and  he  resolves  to  continue  the  race 
until  he  drops,  and  settled  down  to  a  determined  gait, 
being  content  so  long  as  he  kept  the  retreating  foe  in 
view;  soon  he  observes  the  runner  cast  off  his  quiver 
of  arrows  from  his  back  to  lighten  himselt,  so  his 
pursuer  determined  to  do  likewise,  then  the  leader 
casts  away  his  bow,  and  likewise  did  his  pursuer; 
now  both  men  have  nothing  to  hamper  them,  but  the 
hindermost  can  plainly  see  it  is  only  a  question  of 
time  until  he  will  overtake  his  enemy;  so  he  begins  to 
formulate  his  line  of  attack,  which  is  to  reserve  suf- 
ficient power  to  rush  up  to  his  foe  and  push  him  over 
while  running;  but  as  he  nears,  he  finds  the  runner  to 
be  a  slim,  tall,  undeveloped  boy,  so  at  once  that  glor- 
ious pleasure-giving  feeling  mounted  into  his  breast, 
which  denotes  nobility  of  soul,  causing  grand 
thoughts  of  magnanimity  unusual  with  his  race;  but 
he  resolves  to  carry  out  the  program;  which  succeeds, 
but  when  the  boy  is  suddenly  pushed  over,  his  face 
has  a  smile  of  bravery  which  appeals  to  the  Osage, 
for  it  plainly  says:  '*You  can  kill  me,  but  I  am  no 
coward,"  so  that  he  forgoes  the  act  of  cutting  the 
vein,  and  meets  smile  with  smile.  The  boy,  for  such 
he  is,  being  only  sixteen,  is  so  exhausted  he  could 
not  have  resisted  whatever  was  done  to  him.  These 
young  men  cannot  comprehend  each  other  by  words, 
but  by  signs  the  boy  informs  the  other  that  his  father 
was  killed  while  following  the  boat  and  that  he  was 
one  of  the  chiefs,  and  also  signifying  that  he  wore 
around  his  neck  the  insignia  of  his  chieftainship;  then 
the  Osage  felt  a  joyous  sensation  that  he  had  saved 
the  son  of  the  man  he  killed  or  helped  to  destroy. 


.    KINDNESS   TOWARD  PRISONER.  367 

Both  of  thorn  wera  very  much  exhausted,  and  the 
joung  Padouca  was  made  to  understand  he  must  go 
to  the  village  of  the  Great  Gsages,  and  his  life  would 
be  in  the  hands  of  the  chief. 

The  two  young  men  now  leisurely  returned  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Osage  to  await  the  coming  back  of 
the  balance  of  the  party,  who  upon  coming  up  were 
much  surprised  to  see  a  live  enemy,  and  particularly 
a  hated  Padouca,  but  our  young  Osage  brave  assured 
them  that  it  was  his  wish  and  also  insisted  that 
the  boy  must  be  protected  from  injury.  After  gath- 
ering up  the  secreted  articles,  the  three  young  men 
make  their  way  up  the  Osage  river  to  the  village  of 
the  Grand  Osages  in  Bates  county,  Missouri,  and  be- 
cause of  the  fame  he  had  acquired,  the  chief  and  all 
the  warriors  unanimously  assented  that  Wasbashas 
use  his  own  pleasure  regarding  the  fate  of  the  young 
Padouca  chief;  but  he  had  already  formulated  his 
plan,  which  was  to  get  permission  of  his  chief  to  per- 
sonally conduct  the  young  man  to  his  home  and  to 
request  the  release  of  some  of  his  own  tribe  in 
exchange.  The  Padoucas  were  so  impressed  with 
the  unusual  act  that  they  feted  their  enemy  and  al- 
lowed ten  prisoners  to  return  home,  and  loaded  Was- 
bashas with  many  presents.  This  act  did  more  for 
the  fame  of  our  young  brave  than  the  number  of  men 
he  slew,  for  it  was  passed  around  and  magnified  to 
such  an  extent  that  he  was  selected  by  all  the  prairie 
tribes  as  their  ideal,  as  were  the  heroes  in  Homer's 
Odyssey  by  the  Greeks.  Many  pages  could  be  de- 
voted to  the  wonderful  rise  of  the  humble  boy  to 
chief  of  the  Great  or  Grand  Osages,  but  he  merited 


/ 

/ 

SaS  ANXIOUS   TO  PLEASE   YOU. 

the  distinction.  For  he  was  as  brave  yet  magnani- 
mous, as  was  the  redoubtable  General  U.  8.  Grant, 
who  at  Appamatox  treated  the  surrendered  Confed- 
erates with  every  consideration,  and  allowed  the  poor 
half-starved  troops  to  take  their  horses  and  tackle 
back  to  their  dear  old  Sunny  South  and  go  to  raising 
sweet  potatoes  and  corn  for  their  babies,  which  act  on 
the  part  of  the  great  commander  will  forever  endear 
his  memory,  notwithstanding  he  whipped  them  fair 
and  square. 

Before  closing  this  chapter,  a  little  tete-a-tete  i» 
desired  with  you.  There  is  a  desire  to  confide  to  you 
the  pleasurable  sensation  experienced  while  compil- 
ing this  httle  visionary  episode  attributed  to  the 
young  Osage;  and  if  you,  my  dear  reader,  only  receive 
one-half  the  satisfaction,  even  that  will  be  gratifying. 
Again,  it  was  so  easy:  for  there  was  no  data  to  be 
sure  of,  and  like  the  Arabian  Nights'  story,  could  be 
spun  out  *'ad  libitum,"  but  what  is  most  wished  to 
confess,  is  the  fear  that  a  point  is  now  reached  when 
the  words  are  being  counted  so  as  not  to  spin  the 
story  out  that  it  will  surfeit  you,  and  last  but  upper- 
most in  mind,  like  Banquo's  ghost,  is  the  query,  will 

YOU  BE  PLEASED? 

There  is  an  adage  to  **make  haste  slowly,"  but 
Coronado  has  forgotten  this,  or  probably  it  was  not 
in  vogue  at  this  time,  for  he  is  on  nettles  to  turn  his 
face  homeward;  so  no  time  is  consumed  in  prepara- 
tion, for  by  experience  he  knows  it  to  be  easy  to  sus- 
tain his  army  even  when  cut  loose  from  his  base  of 
supply,  for  he  can  forace  off  the  inhabitants  of  the 
plains  (the  buffalo). 


..1B]E  LAST. 

^'ou've  reached  the  last,      If  you  are  enlightened, 
The  die  is  cast.  Or  your  life  brightened, 

Should  you  be  mad  Halleluiah  to  his  name! 

He  will  be  sad.  It  might  mean  fame. 

If  you  are  pleased,  So  bless  you  and  yours; 

Ecstasy  he  sees.  May  you  own  all  outdoors. 

'ARIOUS  are  the  routes  given  by  which  Cor- 
onado  is  conducted  home,  but  the  Spaniards 
themselves  have  left  this  record:  "They  (the 
Indian  guides)  brought  us  back  by  the  same 
road  as  far  as  where  I  said;  before  that  we  came  to  a 
river  called  St.  Peter  and  Paul's,  and  here  we  left 
that  by  vrhich  we  had  come,  and  taking  the  right 
hand  they  led  us  along  by  watering  places  and  among 
cows  and  by  a  good  road,  although  there  were  none 
either  one  way  or  the  other  except  those  of  the  cows, 
as  I  have  said."  But  it  is  certain  their  objective 
point  was  Tiguex,  now  Bernalillo,  New  Mexico,  where 
the  main  army  was  waiting  for  their  return;  so  they 
passed  through  the  present  States  of  Kansas,  Okla- 
homa, Texas  and  New  Mexico  Territory,  part  of 
which  domain  being  the  hunting  ground  of  the  Quere- 
chos,  as  the  Spaniards  named  them,  but  in  modern 
parlance  they  are  known  as  the  Comanche  Indians,  so 
by  that  name  you  will  recognize  them. 


370  A  LITTLE  EXPERIENCE  LEAU]>fED. 

The  gentlemen  of  the  memorable  **fchirt;y-slx'' 
have  made  a  discovery  by  their  trip  to  Quivira:  they 
have  learned  by  experience  how  little  can  be  gotten 
along  with  when  necessity  compels;  they  were  like 
Corporal  Cy  Klegg,  who,  when  a  boy  joined  the  Union 
Army,  and  his  good  old  mother  outfitted  him  with 
several  suits  of  underclothing,  tooth  and  shoe 
brushes,  extra  suit  of  clothes,  a  Bible,  etc.,  but  poor 
Cy  soon  discovered  how  heavy  his  knapsack  was,  and 
reluctantly  the  very  last  thing  he  discarded  was  the 
Grood  Book;  thus  limiting  his  wardrobe  to  that  on  his 
back  but  not  in  a  knapsack.  And  so  with  our  cava- 
hers:  they  have  given  as  presents  a  great  number  of 
^•rticles  to  the  Indians,  thus  relieving  themselves  and 
their  horses  of  a  large  amount  of  fool  dead  weight, 
which  makes  it  possible  to  travel  often  forty  miles  a 
day,  when  no  other  obstructions  occur  until 
reaching  the  Indian  country  and  plains  of  Texas, 
when  the  Comanches  began  to  show  a  disposition  to 
harass  them,  not  so  much  on  account  of  a  desire  to 
slay,  but  they  had  for  several  years  come  in  contact 
with  that  new  animal,  which  to  them  appears  like  the 
mythological  Pegasus  or  winged  horse;  in  fact  they 
already  had  procured  a  few  plugs;  and  now  every 
Ked  Skin  is  crazy  to  secure  one,  and  racked  their 
brains  with  aU  manner  of  schemes  how  to  obtain  a 
steed.  Talk  about  the  mania  for  bicycles  and  auto- 
mobiles when  first  invented,  there  was  no  comparison, 
for  all  those  who  got  their  heads  set  on  a  wheel  would 
part  with  their  all;  but  the  Indian  would  do  that  and 
risk  his  life  in  the  bargain. 

And  now  the    vicissitudes  of    the    party    com- 


A  I)ISAGREEABI.E  SITUATION.  87 J 

mence;  they  had  picnic  up  in  Quivira,  but  the  scene 
Bhifts,  typifying  that  **life  is  real,  life  is  earnest,"  for 
the  strain  became  unbearable  with  the  eternal  vigi- 
glence  to  keep  the  wily  Gomanches  from  stealing 
their  stock.  The  country  is  so  open  that  they  cannot 
accomplish  anything  during  daylight,  but  just  as 
soon  as  darkness  sets  in,  then  the  horse  thieves  be- 
gin their  work,  and  owing  to  the  imperative  neces- 
sity of  allowing  the  horses  to  pasture  during  the 
night  so  as  to  stand  the  next  day's  ride,  for  there  is 
no  grain  in  sight  (except  what  Monte  had  secreted), 
and  every  day  the  chargers  are  losing  their  flesh,  and 
witli  it  their  spirit,  for  whenever  a  riding  horse  be- 
comes razor-backed,  the  saddle  begins  to  rub  and 
chafe  until  the  hide  is  worn  through,  causing  a  saddle 
sore,  which  knocks  out  even  a  good  nag  and  makes  it 
lose  heart  and  become  moppy,  dropping  its  head 
and  flopping  its  ears  instead  of  arched  neck  and 
pricked  up  ears.  Even  Monte's  mule  began  to  show 
the  wear  and  tear,  and  the  only  one  that  could  be  re- 
lied upon  for  any  speed  is  Babieca,  which  is  accounted 
for  by  the  secreted  shelled  corn,  and  also  the  persist- 
ent industry  of  Alonso  and  Monte,  for  Alonso  makes 
it  a  rule  in  the  morning  before  starting  to  gather  a 
sheaf  of  blue  stem  grass  and  ties  it  to  the  back  of  the 
mule,  and  after  a  few  hours'  ride  takes  the  bit  from 
the  horse's  mouth  and  feeds  the  grass  as  they  travel. 
It  is  remarkable  how  knowing  a  horse  is.  In  the 
early  pioneer  days  of  Kansas  a  riding  pony  was  used 
to  go  five  miles  to  work  returning  in  the  evening;  fre- 
quently a  biscuit  or  a  piece  of  corn  dodger  or  fat  ba- 
con would  be  left  from  dinner,  and  while  riding  home 


372  HORSE   STEALING. 

over  the  prairie  in  the  evening  the  pony  looked  for  its 
bread  and  meat  as  does  a  youngster  for  its  candy. 

Lieutenant  Perez  was  so  attached  to  his  sagacious 
gelding  that  it  worried  him  to  contemplate  its  loss, 
and  realizing  the  fact  of  its  being  the  best  looking 
one  in  the  bunch,  he  knew  the  natives  would  do  their 
best  to  secure  it,  so  he  and  Monte  would  try  to  sleep 
near  their  horse  and  mule,  and  several  times  the 
neighing  and  restlessness  of  the  Arabian  would  wake 
up  both  Monte  and  Aionso,  which  thwarted  the  mid- 
night prowlers.  But  one  dark  night  when  too  late  it 
is  discovered  that  two  horses  are  being  led  away;  the 
thieves  are  not  yet  mounted,  so  the  sentinel,  who  dis- 
covered them,  fired  his  harquebus  and  shouted,  think- 
ing to  scare  the  two  men,  who  he  thought  would  run, 
but  instead,  they  must  have  learned  how  to  back  a 
horse,  for  they  mounted  and  rode  away  in  the  dark- 
ness. Surely  the  camp  was  in  great  commotion;  the 
commander  was  giving  orders,  but  Alonso  had  fore- 
seen that  such  a  thing  might  happen,  therefore  he 
had  schooled  Monte  what  to  do  in  case  of  such  an  oc- 
curence; so  while  Alonso  is  buckling  on  his  sword 
and  getting  ready  his  firearms,  Monte  is  putting  the 
saddle  on  the  only  horse  which  is  likely  to  overtake 
the  marauders,  so  several  minutes  before  any  other 
of  the  party  are  ready,  Alonso  is  off  with  instructions 
for  the  men  to  follow.  The  sound  of  the  galloping 
horses  can  be  plainly  heard,  and  there  is  no  trouble 
to  follow  the  direction;  but  our  young  soldier  is  fully 
aware  that  in  all  probability  there  is  a  large  party  se- 
creted in  the  neighborhood,  so  he  not  only  listens  to 
the  clickety -click  of  the  horses*  feet  but  gives  an  ear 


COMANCHE  TRICKS.  373 

to  catch  other  sounds  so  as  to  apprise  him  of  the 
presence  of  Indians.  One  thing  the  pursuer  is 
sure  of,  which  is  from  the  sound  that  although  the 
two  horses  are  galloping:  yet  it  is  a  very  slow  one,  for 
by  reason  of  their  condition  they  cannot  be  mswie  to 
take  a  fast  gait;  the  sound  becomes  more  distinct, 
and  now  the  two  riders  are  seen,  and  Alonso  resolves 
to  use  his  gun  to  bring  down  one  of  the  men;  but  for 
some  cause  it  misses  fire,  and  the  distance  is  so  little 
until  he  can  come  up  with  the  two  thieves,  he  resolves 
to  give  them  a  little  cold  steel:  so  drawing  his  good 
Toledo,  or  Granada  or  Damascus  saber,  he  calls  on 
Babieca,  and  soon  it  is  over,  for  as  quick  as  you  can 
count  one,  two,  the  horses  are  riderless,  and 
after  going  a  short  distance  they  permitted  Alonso  to 
lead  them  back  to  camp.  Alonso  did  not  investigate 
relative  to  the  would-be  thieves,  but  some  of  the  men 
told  the  commander  they  had  discovered  two  dead 
men  fearfully  hacked  with  a  sword. 

The  killing  of  the  two  Indians  now  gave  the  Co- 
manches  an  excuse  to  not  only  steal  but  kill,  and  for 
many  days  and  nights  tlie  party  is  continually  har- 
assed; but  so  afraid  are  the  Indians  of  the  bolt  of 
hghtning  which  they  think  the  white  man  can  hurl  at 
them  from  their  guns  that  they  rarely  come  close 
enough  to  reach  the  party  with  their  arrows,  and  the 
members  of  the  troop  are  careful  to  never  scatter  so 
as  to  give  the  vigilant  Indians  an  opportunity  to 
injure  them. 

The  party  is  nearing  the  end  of  their  destination, 
when  during  a  noon  hour,  while  they  are  refreshing 
themselves  and  allowing  their  horses  to  browse,  and 


374  A  NEW  SCHEME  OP  THE  INDIANS. 

because  of  never  before  having  trouble  daring  day 
liicht,  the  stock  w^as  some  distance  from  camp  on  ex- 
tra good  grass,  and  every  man  v^ras  reclining  on  the 
ground  eating;  the  country  now  being  traversed  was 
just  beginning  to  change  from  plains  to  rolling  or 
mountainous,  otherwise  the  incident  about  to  be  re- 
lated would  in  all  probability  never  have  transpired. 
The  majority  of  the  Indians  had  ceased  to  follow,  but 
a  few  were  determined  to  endeavor  to  procure  the 
coveted  prize.  The  location  of  the  camp  was  very 
favorable  for  the  contemplated  raid;  it  was  the  watch- 
ful old  JaramiUo  who  first  observed  something  un- 
usual with  the  stock,  and  called  attention  to  the  fact 
that  four  of  the  horses  had  their  heads  turned  direct- 
ly from  the  camp  and  were  farther  away,  but  not  a 
man  could  observe  the  cause,  but  instinctively  all  re- 
alized that  something  was  wrong,  and  every  man's 
brain  was  in  a  whirl,  for  they  were  never  more  sur- 
prised; but  Coronado  ordered  half  the  men  only  to 
hasten  toward  the  tethered  horses  and  learn  the 
cause  of  the  strange  incident,  but  kept  half  his  com- 
mand to  be  on  the  alert  for  a  surprise,  and  it  was  well 
as  events  proved.  Alonso  was  to  command  the  party 
sent  to  investigate  the  strange  action  of  the  horses, 
while  his  chief  cared  for  the  camp.  One  thing  Alon- 
so was  sure  of  was  that  his  horse  was  quite  a  dis- 
tance from  the  spot  where  he  had  left  him,  but  still 
he  could  only  observe  that  four  of  the  horses  were 
getting  to  be  quite  a  distance  off;  then  the  well-known 
whistle  of  his  master  was  heard  by  Babieca,  where- 
upon was  seen  the  cause  of  the  mysterious  action  of 
the  horses,  for  no  sooner  did  the  sound  reach  Alon- 


SPANIARDS  ATTACK  INDLA.NS  375 

ao's  well-trained  aaimal  than  he  turned  toward  the 
place  from  whence  the  signal  came  and  started  to 
come  toward  its  master;  and  now  for  the  first  time  it 
is  observed  that  a  naked  Indian  has  arisen  to  his  feet, 
for  he  can  no  longer  keep  up  his  crawhng  in  the 
grass,  that  being  how  the  four  horses  had  been  led 
from  the  place  where  they  had  been  picketed,  and 
Alonso,  when  realizing  the  cause  of  his  horse^s  action, 
whistled  his  loudest,  which  made  the  animal  jerk 
loose  from  the  thieving  Indian,  who,  seeing  that  the 
Spaniards  were  apprised  of  the  raid,  ran  to  the  three 
other  Indians  who  were  still  snaking  their  bodies 
through  the  tall  grass,  and  advised  their  mounting 
and  making  off. 

About  this  time  a  more  thrilling  and  serious  con- 
dition of  affairs  was  transpiring  at  the  camp,  which 
for  the  first  time  was  much  more  important  than  the 
loss  of  a  few  horses,  as  from  the  unearthly  yell  raised 
by  a  party  of  Indians  it  sounded  as  though  there  were 
a  thousand  of  them  about  to  make  an  attack,  so  in- 
stead  of  Alonso  following  the  three  horses,  he  coun- 
termanded the  orders  of  the  generals  to  pursue  the 
horse  thieves  and  instructed  the  men  to  fall  back  to 
camp  so  as  to  aid  those  already  there.  The  faithful 
horse  was  soon  by  its  master's  side,  and  no  time  was 
lost  in  getting  back  to  the  position  selected  by  the 
commander,  and  by  the  time  the  two  parties  had  com- 
bined quite  a  few  arrows  were  dropping  about,  and 
for  a  while  there  was  earnest  work  on  the  part  of  the 
Spaniards,  for  they  felt  sure  there  was  going  to  be  an 
attack;  but  every  man  was  ready  for  the  assault,  but 
none  came,  so  a  skirmishing  or  deploying  party  was 


376  ALONSO  RECK  .Ti:SS. 

ordered  to  the  front  to  feel  of  the  enemy,  and  then  for 
the  first  time  it  was  discovered  that  there  were  only 
about  fifty  Indians  who  were  making  all  the  racket; 
so  word  was  soon  forwarded  back  to  camp  relative  to 
the  number  of  the  enemy,  and  without  further  delay 
the  troop  were  ordered  to  charge.  Of  course  the  In- 
dians soon  observed  the  oncoming  cavalry,  and  con- 
cluded to  make  a  run  for  it,  but  the  fighting  blood  of 
the  Spaniards  was  up,  and  woe  to  the  red  man  who 
was  not  able  to  outrun  the  fastest  horses;  and  for  the 
first  time  it  will  have  to  be  admitted  that  Alonso  felt 
that  awful  brutal  sensation  which  impelled  him  to  put 
more  pressure  upon  the  rowels  than  ever  before  in 
his  life,  and  it  was  so  unusual  that  poor  Babieca 
nearly  went  wild,  for  the  sharp  things  rowlinjj^  up  his 
flanks,  cutting  through  the  skin,  brought  the  blood 
and  with  it  a  fierceness  and  recklessness  that  made 
the  goaded  animal  spring  forward  Uke  a  tiger,  and  so 
there  were  a  pair  of  them,  both  the  horse  and  the 
rider.  Wliat  made  Alonso  lose  his  equilibrium  was 
the  attempt  to  steal  his  horse,  and  when  he  consid- 
ered how  careful  the  troop  had  been  in  its  treatment 
of  the  natives  while  going  and  returning  from  Qui- 
vira,  it  made  his  Irish- Spanish  blood  (a  bad  mixture) 
boil  to  murderous  heat:  so  on  rushes  the  second-in- 
command  without  judgment  or  discretion,  for  his 
horse  was  crazy  and  ran  at  racing  speed,  coming  up 
with  the  horde  of  retreating  Indians  so  that  Alonso 
was  slashing  at  them  right  and  left,  and  he  was  all 
alone  for  the  other  horses  could  not  make  the  speed 
as  did  Babieca;  so  our  young  man  had  become  fool- 
hardy, in  fact  had  lost  his  usual  balance  and  judg- 


AN  ACX3DENT.  3^7 

ment;  but  before  the  foremost  of  the  party  caught 
up,  a  not  unusual  accident  happened  to  the  insane 
lieutenant,  which  in  all  probability  saved  his  life,  and 
brought  him  down  a  peg  or  two,  for  all  at  once  he  was 
thrown  over  his  horse's  head  so  suddenly  that  the 
thud  on  the  ground  fractured  his  arm,  and  in  the 
bargain  his  horse  was  lame,  both  of  which  were 
caused  by  Babieca  stepping  into  a  badger  hole  on  the 
prairie.  None  of  the  other  horsemen  were  able  to 
overtake  the  now  panic-stricken  Indians,  but  several 
of  the  hindermost  were  treated  with  some  pellets 
from  the  harquebuses,  so  they  left  a  number  scat- 
tered over  the  ground. 

"Wlien  our  party  had  cooled  off  they  began  to  take 
stock  of  matters,  and  concluded  it  was  impossible  to 
overtake  the  three  horses  which  had  been  spirited 
away,  and  the  worst  of  all  the  best  horse  had  gone 
lame,  so  it  was  concluded  to  remain  at  this  camp  for 
a  few  days  to  allow  Alonso's  horse  to  rest  and  for 
treatment.     paOCTOtt  Ufc»**^ 

It  is  a  trying  time  for  all  parties,  for  every  man 
is  getting  tired  of  the  constant  travel,  and  anxious  to 
get  back  to  civilization.  Most  of  the  party  have  not 
heard  from  their  folks  for  two  years,  and  those  who 
are  situated  like  Coronado,  constantly  are  wishing 
how  they  would  like  to  take  wings,  and  Alonso  is  sure 
of  there  being  letters  from  home,  and  particularly 
from  his  loved  one,  but  although  these  men  are  so 
anxious  yet  they  are  philosophical,  and  make  the  best 
of  their  situation.  The  only  thing  that  deters  the 
troop  from  moving  on  is  the  lameness  of  Alonso's 
horse,  so  you  may  rest  ajsured  that  it  receives  the 


878  AN  ACOOUNT  OF   THE  GREAT  OD. 

closest  attention,  and  if  rnbbing^  the  strained  le^ 
would  assist  in  bring:ing  about  a  cure,  surely  there 
was  no  lack  of  that,  for  Alonso  and  Monte  were  ex- 
ceedingly painstaking  and  attentive,  but  all  others 
had  very  little  to  do  except  to  take  their  turn  night 
and  day  to  keep  watch;  and  one  thing  that  worried 
the  officers  was  the  thought  that  a  large  body  of  In- 
dians might  be  brought  against  them  in  retaliation 
for  killing  the  Indian  horse  thieves,  and  so  orders 
were  given  that  no  man  should  go  out  of  view  of  the 
camp  in  case  of  a  surprise. 

AVhile  loafing  around  camp,  there  are  naturally 
various  topics  conversed  ujKJn,  but  one  day  Coronado 
entertained  quite  a  number  of  the  troop  with  an  ac- 
count of  the  exploits  of  Spain's  national  hero,  Cid,  or 
Roderigo  Ruy  Diae,  his  proper  name: 

**Comrades,  you  are  all  Spaniards,  therefore  it 
would  be  a  travesty  on  our  great  Cid  to  introduce  him 
to  you.  We  know  there  never  was  such  another 
brave,  chivalrous  and  noble  soldier  in  all  the  world's 
history,  but  gentlemen,  his  fame  and  renown  as  a 
commander  are  worthy  of  emulation,  and  when  we 
know  of  his  magnanimity  to  those  whom  he  defeated, 
it  ought  and  must  stamp  him  everlastingly  as  one  of 
the  noblest  of  the  world's  heroes. 

** Although  the  Cid  had  always  been  faithful  to 
his  king,  yet  because  of  the  great  commander  being 
given  to  noble  acts  toward  the  vanquished  Moors,  the 
King  got  angry  and  confiscated  all  of  his  general's 
property,  and  ordered  him  from  the  kingdom  of  Cas- 
tile, and  he  was  compelled  to  go,  and  no  person  dared 
to  extend  the  hospitality  he  deserved  for  fear  of  los- 


CID  IXDYAI.  TO  A  HGSTILB  KINO  379 

ing  their  eyes  and  property,  that  being  the  penalty 
set  by  the  King;  but  sixty  of  his  f aithfnl  knights  ac- 
companied him  in  his  banishment,  and  although  his 
Majesty  and  master  had  /awarded  his  faithfulness 
with  such  treatment,  yet  instead  of  returning  evil  for 
evil,  which  he  could  have  done  by  allaying  himself 
wi'd)  the  Moors  against  his  lord,  he  borrowed  of  a 
Jev/  500  marks  with  which  to  sustain  his  soldiers, 
pledging  two  heavy  cases  supposed  to  be  filled  with 
treasures;  but  it  was  only  sand,  it  being  the  only  de- 
ception practiced  by  him,  but  was  justifiable;  the  Jew 
was  not  to  open  the  cases  for  a  year;  but  by  that  time 
the  pledger  felt  certain  of  redeeming.  And  now  the 
Cid  resolves  to  appease  the  King  by  demonstrating 
by  acts  his  faithfulness,  so  he  attacks  and  captures 
many  castles  and  cities,  always  treating  the  van- 
quished with  consideration,  but  insisting  they  must 
become  vassals  of  the  King,  and  they  invariably  ex- 
claimed after  having  paid  ransom  and  acceded  to  vas- 
salship,  'Gk),  my  Cid!  and  our  prayers  go  with  you.' 
At  last,  several  of  the  Moorish  rulers  becoming 
alarmed  at  the  victorious  progress  of  Roderigo 
allied  their  forces  which  were  also  defeated,  and 
Count  Raymond,  being  taken  prisoner,  refused  to  eat 
because  of  his  chagrin,  and  here  is  one  of  the  inci- 
dents which  affected  me;  but  I  had  better  give  you  the 
lines,  for  they  are  sublime,  what  the  Cid  says: 

**  *Eat,  Count,  this  bread  and  drink  this  wine.' 
And  do  as  I  command, 
And  speedily  from  prison  free,  believe  me, 
You  shall  stand, 

Or  elsewhere  you  shall  never  more  behold 
The  Christian  land. ' 


880  ORIGIN   OP   THE  INDIANS. 

Don  Raymond  answered  him: 
*Eat  yourself,  Cid,  and  rejoice, 

But  as  for  me,  I  will  not  eat; 

So  leave  me  to  my  choice.* 
*Eat,  Count,  or  ne'er  again 

Christian  visage  shalt  thou  see 

But  if  you  will  consent  to  eatj 

And  give  content  to  me, 

You  and  your  children  twain 

Shall  presently  be  free/ 

**How  could  any  human,  more  particularly  a  king, 
resist  such  devotion?  So  the  Cid  was  restored  to  his 
former  station.'' 

Upon  the  conclusion  of  the  foregoing.  Father  Pa- 
dilla,  who  was  the  best  educated  man  in  the  party, 
spoke  up  and  asked  the  company  its  opinion  of  the 
origin  of  the  natives  who  they  were  among;  and  now 
began  a  series  of  discussions,  all  based  on  the  hypoth- 
esis that  they  were  in  India  instead  of  a  new  conti- 
nent nowheres  near  the  Indies.  At  the  time  these 
men  are  rolling  on  the  grass,  the  Polo  Brothers  and 
Marco  Polo  were  dead,  and  their  wonderful  aoconnt 
of  their  sojourn  in  China  and  Japan  had  been  given 
Europe  for  250  years,  which  was  so  extraordinary 
that  at  the  time  it  was  not  believed. 

But  let  us  see  what  is  said  of  these  Red  Men  of 
North  America.  Do  you  think  they  are  the  Lost 
Tribe  of  Israel?  For,  as  you  are  aware,  some  noted 
people  make  that  claim.  For  a  number  of  years  a 
converted  foolish  Jew  was  in  the  United  States  and 
here  labored  for  the  purpose  of  proving  his  theory; 
this  was  in  18 — .  About  1775  James  Adair  published 
a  book  in  London  in  which  he  endeavored  to  prove 
the  Indians  were  descendants  of  the  Lost  Tribe. 


ARE  INDIANS  OF  JAPANESE  ORIGIN?  88J 

But  to  get  down  to  what  is  known.  There  can  be 
no  disputing  the  fact  that  the  Philippine  Islands  are 
about  600  miles  from  the  coast  of  China,  and  mind 
you,  there  are  numerous  islands  scattered  all  the 
way;  we  know  that  these  islands  have  been  known  to 
the  Chinese  and  Japs  for  a  long  time;  then  there  are 
many  small  islands  scattered  over  the  Pacific,  notably 
the  Ladrone  and  Hawaiian  Islands.  But  please  stop 
for  a  few  minutes  and  look  at  the  map  of  the  Pacific 
Ocean  and  you  will  be  astonished  at  the  hundreds  if 
not  thousands  of  islands  scattered  all  the  way  from 
China  to  the  coast  of  America.  On  the  map  it  seems 
as  though  you  could  step  from  one  to  the  other.  Who 
knows  but  long  before  Robinson  Crusoe  (Alexander 
Selkirk)  was  left  on  the  island  of  Juan  Fernandez  that 
Chinamen  or  Japs  put  in  there;  for  it  is  a  continuation 
of  these  numerous  islands,  and  is  only  400  miles  from 
the  Chile  coast  near  Valparaiso.  And  we  know  that 
the  Japs  are  great  water  people;  and  may  not  in  early 
times  these  people  have  made  trips  over  the  smooth 
Pacific  water  and  left  colonies  here?  and  does  not 
Chinese  and  Nippon  literature  claim  to  have  known  of 
the  American  continent?  and  have  not  some  of  our 
own  scientists  claimed  to  have  found  evidences  of 
their  being  along  the  Pacific  coast?  But  more  par- 
ticularly, take  the  face  and  hair  of  the  average  Indian, 
if  it  does  not  plainly  show  Chinese  or  Japanese,  then 
there  is  something  wrong  with  one's  optics;  and  there 
is  reason  to  suppose  that  the  natives  are  descended 
from  the  Japs  because  of  the  possibility  of  Japanese 
reaching  North  America  by  way  of  Behring  Strait. 

Perhaps  our  party  is  not  as  restless  as  you  are, 
dear  reader,  to  get  to  the  end,  therefore  they  will  be 
hurried  up  for  your  sake.  So  on  the  morning  of  the 
second  day,  which  is  a  day  sooner  than  expected, 
Alonso  informs  his  principal  that  he  believes  his 
horse  can  make  at  least  ten  miles  by  leading  him,  and 


382  THE  EXPEDITION  DISBANDS. 

it  is  found  that  the  exercise  is  good  for  the  animal 
and  every  day  it  is  able  to  proceed  a  longer  distance, 
and  at  last  they  reach  Tiguex,  where  the  main  army 
is  encamped  according  to  the  orders  of  the  command- 
ing officer. 

The  next  thing  for  the  general  to  accomplish  is 
to  arrange  to  hold  the  new-found  country  of  Cibola, 
and  disband  the  expedition,  so  as  to  curtail  the  ex- 
pense, for  it  has  cost  the  government  a  lot  of  money, 
and  many  of  the  expedition  are  given  grants  of 
land  in  heu  of  cash,  thus  making  them  interested  in 
retaining  the  country  for  the  king;  but  still  there  is  a 
large  number  who  must  be  conducted  back  to  the 
starting  place,  Compostella,  but  Alonso  procures 
leave  to  proceed  at  once  for  the  capital. 

Alonso  and  Monte  are  not  only  honored  by  Gov- 
ernor Mendoza,  but  all  the  people  of  the  city  fete  the 
two  young  men,  for  has  not  Monte  sung  the  praises 
of  Alonso  to  his  own  people  so  that  they  idolize  him? 
and  so  affable,  cheerful  and  handsome  is  our  young 
hero  that  none  can  help  but  like  him,  and  the  young 
f  eUow  is  walking  upon  air  instead  of  riding  horseback 
over  monotonous  plains,  for  upon  reaching  the  capi- 
tal he  receives  a  large  budget  of  letters  from  dear  old 
Spain;  but  what  gives  such  elasticity  to  his  gait  and 
cheery  expression  on  his  countenance  is  the  interest- 
ing diary  of  doings  and  important  events  She  has 
recorded  in  his  native  city  of  Salmanica,  and  above 
all  the  lid-lifting  words  which  cause  the  covering  of 
his  heart  to  burst  open  with  a  flood  of  beautiful  sen- 
sations of  pleasure  and  happiness  that  causes  him  to 
realize  the  exquisite  satisfaction  of  the  stereotyped 
question  often  debated  in  country  school  houses: 
*  That  there  is  more  pleasure  in  anticipation  than  in 
participation,"  which,  if  correct,  necessarily  means 
that  a  good  Christian  person  will  experience  more 
pleasure  in  thinking  of  heaven  than  being  there. 

It  has  become  axiomatic  that  everything  must 


FINIT13   VERSUS  INFINITE.  ooj     , 

haT€  an  ending,  which  of  course  carries  TvILb  it  the 
necessary  conclusion  that  it  had  a  beginning,  but  is 
the  Great  Unknowable  to  be  included  in  the  axiom?  For 
if  He,  It,  or  They  ever  had  a  beginning  or  will  have  an 
ending,  then  it  could  not  be  the  Infinite  Almighty 
power  which  humans  delight  to  contemplate;  bat  be- 
cause of  this  incomprehensible  **In  the  Beginning,'' 
being  as  inexplicable  as  "World  without  End,"  poor 
finite  mortals  need  not  rack  their  insignificant  brains 
to  comprehend  the  finis  of  the  Universe.  But  when 
it  comes  to  the  **longest  lane  must  have  a  turning," 
then  it  is  meet  to  exercise  the  thinking  faculties  for 
the  purpose  of  calling  attention  to  the  *'ifs"  and 
'*buts"  of  human  experiences,  hence  to  reassert  that 
every  tale  must  have  an  ending  is  worn  out;  but  to 
say  the  longest  tale  is  often  very  stale,  or  the  longest 
story  doesn't  bring  glory,  or  a  volume's  size  may  not 
be  despised,  or  a  short  tale  may  have  a  big  sale,  or 
the  largest  book  may  merit  the  darkest  nook,  or  a 
few  pages  may  go  down  to  future  ages,  or  the  public 
might  gobble  the  latest  novel;  refrain  says,  **Amen, 
so  might  it  be!"  but  following  the  amen,  you  audibly 
exclaim,  **Darn,  cease  your  yarn,  and  quit  whipping 
him  around  Robin's  barn!"  Very  well,  just  be  calm 
and  you  shall  have  the  palm;  but  the  personages  of 
the  plot  must  be  disposed  of. 

Upon  reaching  Tiguex,  Father  Juan  de  Padilla 
procured  the  consent  of  Ck)ronado  to  return  to  Qui- 
vira.  He  was  accompanied  by  a  Spanish-Portugese, 
and  a  Negro  and  a  half-blood  and  some  Indians,  but 
because  the  good  father  wished  to  leave  the  tribe 
where  he  was  located  to  go  and  preach  the  Grospel  to 
the  Padoucas;  their  deadly  enemy,  and  the  holy  man 
insisting  on  carrying  the  good  news,  it  caused  them  to 
kill  him.  It  Cannot  be  truthfully  recorded  which  of 
the  Quivirian  tribes  took  his  life,  but  no  doubt  the 
good   priest's     last   prayer    was:    **Forgive    them, 


^84  ALQNSO   WITH   HIS  BRIDE. 

Father,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do." 

General  Coronado  did  not  leave  the  country  or 
Tiguex  and  territory  tributary  thereto,  until  April, 
1542,  when  he  left  for  New  Spain,  where  he  resided 
the  remainder  of  his  life. 

Jaramillo  for  a  time  was  in  command  of  part  of 
the  Cibola  district,  but  being  a  soldier  of  fortune,  hia 
final  resting  place  is  unknown. 

If  you  please,  fancy  being  at  the  extensive  plan- 
tation of  Monte 's  mother,  who  has  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  her  son  now  grown  into  manhood,  being  de- 
veloped so  much  that  the  lady  is  pleasantly  surprised. 

And  at  this  place  also  is  our  hero,  Alonso,  where 
he  receives  as  much  attention  as  if  he  v/ere  of  a  royal 
family.  Monte  and  his  parent  are  very  desirous  of 
having  Lieutenant  Perez  make  his  home  near  them, 
so  with  the  influence  of  Monte's  family  with  Governor 
Mendoza,  Alonso  procures  quite  an  extensive  grant 
of  land  from  the  Spanish  Government  to  compensate 
him  for  his  services  in  the  expedition  of  1540-41. 

Of  course,  Alonso  is  happily  located  upon  his 
fine  tract  of  land  with  HER,  and  although  her 
religion  was  different  from  his  own,  he  never 
regretted  his  choice;  and  when  he  was  an  honored 
man  in  his  adopted  country  and  had  boys  around  his 
own  fireside,  they  were  never  more  happy  than  when 
listening  to  their  father  recite  his  experiences  while 
with  **Don  Coronado  Through  Kansas.'* 


FAREWELL.  MY  FRIEND, 
$ 


I  f&^'^&L 


j       FOR  THIS  IS  THE  END. 


